Jock Next Bed (BL)
Chapter 215: The proposal...?

Chapter 215: The proposal...?

Okay, so maybe he hadn’t exactly expected to forget about the world and fall asleep here.

And maybe he also didn’t want to escape.

There was another message from his mother which said,

’Heading out. Don’t trouble your father. He’ll be sleeping for a while’

Chris fumbled with his phone, nearly dropping it on his face as he tried to text with one hand.

’Won’t trouble him. But would keep my eyes out. And... no fooling around happened. Thank you.’

Another buzz. This time, from Wilson. He opened it quickly.

’Hmm... someone isn’t trying to call me or text or even take my calls.’

What a pest.

Another message came in.

’Rachel’s asking about you.’

Rachel?

RACHEL!!!

Oh. Right.

He’d forgotten all about her.

Shit.

He shot Wilson a quick message: ’Come over this evening. We can all hang out here.’

A moment later, Wilson responded with a thumbs-up... and then a wink.

Chris groaned inwardly. Of course.

That pervert.

He must be imagining a lot had happened between him and Sky last night.

Well, yeah. A lot did happen. Technically.

He tossed the phone aside and turned back to Sky, who was still fast asleep, arms curled loosely around him. His face was calm, lips parted slightly, hair messy across his forehead. He looked like peace itself. But all Chris could see—could feel—was everything Sky had spilled last night, everything he’d kept locked up inside.

Something twisted in his chest. Protective. Sky didn’t deserve to feel the way he did.

He deserved to be happy. To live with pride. To flaunt himself the way people saw him.

His arms wrapped tighter around Sky, needing him close. Needing to remind himself he was still here. He squeezed, almost as if he were going to merge them into one.

Sky stirred. "I can’t... breathe," he mumbled, voice hoarse with sleep.

Chris blinked, a little caught off guard. But his lips parted—and then dipped.

Instead of pulling back, he leaned in and captured Sky’s mouth in a kiss.

Not a gentle one. Not this time. It was deep, hot, full of everything he didn’t know how to say. The ache, the gratitude, the raw desire.

Sky’s eyes flew open, wide in shock, but Chris didn’t stop. His fingers slipped into Sky’s hair, and the kiss only deepened. His body pressed closer, instinctively, hungrily.

Sky’s breath hitched, caught between resistance and heat.

They finally broke apart, lips tingling, breath mingling in the quiet that followed.

Sky’s eyes stayed on him—wide, searching. Questioning.

Chris would have laughed. The hypocrisy. Hadn’t he kissed him last night when he was sleeping too. Or well, he had been awake. But Sky did wake him up.

Chris propped himself up with his elbow and let his hand linger on Sky’s cheek, his voice quiet but firm. "Thank you," he said. "For sharing everything with me last night."

Sky froze.

Okay... maybe it wasn’t good to mention that first thing in the morning.

But Chris didn’t stop. "I mean it," he continued, eyes locked on his. "No matter what... I see you. You. As you are. The most ridiculously sexy, ridiculously good-looking human male alive."

Then, he leaned in and pressed a gentler, lingering kiss to Sky’s lips—softer than the last, almost reverent.

Sky blinked at him, his expression unreadable, a little awkward.

Chris chuckled, running a hand through his hair. "Look, I know your parents love you. And your grandmother? I bet she adored you like crazy." He smirked. "And if you did have those boobs? You’d still be the hottest man with boobs I’ve ever seen."

There was a beat of silence. Sky stared at him, deadpan. Chris flinched slightly.

"Okay, that sounded better in my head."

But then—Sky laughed. Not a chuckle. A full-bodied, deep, unrestrained laugh that shook his shoulders and lit up his whole face.

Chris stared, then started laughing too, caught in the sudden, brilliant absurdity of it all.

Sky didn’t say anything else. He just reached up, grabbed Chris by the collar, and tugged him down—hugging him hard into the mattress, burying his face in Chris’s neck. Chris let himself sink in, arms wrapping around him, smiling into his hair.

They stayed like that, tangled and warm, the kind of quiet that only came after a storm.

Chris hugged him tighter, burying his face into the crook of Sky’s neck. "God, Sky," he murmured, his voice thick with feeling. "You have no idea how I see you. If you did... you’d probably fall in love with yourself."

The moment the words left his mouth, Chris froze.

Oh.

Shit.

That... that sounded a lot like a confession. And he had used the words ’fall in love.’

He started to pull back, scrambling for something to cover up what he’d just said, but Sky didn’t let him go. His arms stayed firmly wrapped around Chris. Then, slowly, he pulled back just enough to look him in the eye.

His expression had changed—serious now, maybe even a little unsure. "Do you think..." he began, voice quiet, hesitant. "Do you think your family would let you go back to school now? With everything that’s happened?"

Chris blinked.

Well, nice save.

Way to steer the conversation away from that emotional landmine.

Chris shifted slightly, letting the morning light spill softly over Sky’s face. He watched him quietly for a beat before speaking.

"I’m going back," he said. "When the term begins. I’ll return to school."

Sky blinked, brows tugging together slightly. "Really?"

"Yeah," Chris nodded. "To be honest... I kinda like that school now. It feels... I don’t know. Okay? Like I can breathe there."

’You make me breathe easier’

Those words echoed in his head and his gaze fixed on Sky’s face intensely again but Sky broke whatever thought his head was trying to come up with by speaking again,

Sky raised a brow. "What do you like there?"

Chris shrugged. "The... environment. The space. The—"

"Emily?" Sky cut in, arching a brow higher. "Sinclair or maybe Claire? Gary?"

Chris groaned. "Jeez. Enough with the jealousy." He poked Sky lightly in the chest. "They’re nice. That’s it. Nothing else."

Sky’s lips pressed into a line, then softened. "I know. Fuck. Sorry."

Chris observed him for a long moment. After everything Sky shared last night, things made more sense. Why he acted the way he did—so possessive, always quick to apologize, always spiraling over the smallest things.

It wasn’t just insecurity.

It was the deep kind. The kind that carved holes in someone. Made them feel less than everyone else. Made them think they had to fight harder to keep something... or someone.

Chris reached up and brushed a strand of hair from Sky’s forehead.

"You don’t have to be sorry all the time," he said softly. "Especially not with me."

Sky looked down, then up again—eyes searching, cautious.

Chris swallowed, then spoke again, slower this time.

"I want us to be... fully exclusive."