Barred Desires (The Deepest Desires 1)

Branson

Before all of this happened,I didn’t realize what a long process coming out of a coma was. I honestly thought it was instant, which was probably dumb of me. It’s about two in the afternoon now, and we’ve been here since about eight in the morning. Andrew is finally starting to show signs of waking up, and we’re all anxious.

Edward showed up around a half hour ago and all of us are sitting on the edge of our seats, nervously waiting for Andrew to open his eyes.

I’m feeling antsy and want to walk around, stretch my legs. Sitting in one spot for so long is enough to drive you crazy. “I think I’m going to get some coffee from the cafeteria. Anyone want one?”

“I’ll come with you,” Luca says, getting up out of his chair and stretching. His shirt rides up in the process and I can see his little blonde treasure trail. It’s making me wish we were alone.

“Sure, honey,” Mom says, pulling out her wallet. “I’ll take a latte, please.”

“Mom, put your wallet away, I can get it. It’s fine. Edward, anything?”

“I’m okay right now. Thanks, though, Branson.”

Heading out of the hospital room, we take a right, heading for the set of elevators at the end of the hall. I waste no time taking his hand in mine; the need to touch him constantly is palpable. His uncle doesn’t know about us yet, and while we aren’t ashamed, it isn’t the time to dive into it all, so for now we have to keep our hands to ourselves in front of him.

Giving my hand a couple of good squeezes, I can see him smiling out of my peripheral vision, so I give his hands a couple of squeezes back. The elevator we get on is empty, thankfully, and I’m able to take advantage of that fact, crashing my lips down on his the second the doors shut. If his little whimper is anything to go by, the kiss took him by surprise, and I love that.

I let my hands wander over the expanse of his hard chest and shoulders, continuing to make sweet love to his mouth with my tongue. We don’t have long, since the door is obviously about to open, but damn, it feels good to get lost in him for a few moments.

Pulling apart before the elevator pings, I can’t help but smile at his flushed cheeks and disheveled hair. I can’t wait to really turn him inside out later when we have more time.

“Uh, wow,” he says, breathless. “Thanks for the boner right before we go get coffee.”

Laughing, I respond, “Anytime.”

* * *

Much to our surprise,Andrew is mostly awake by the time we get back from the coffee run, and the nurses have already taken the breathing tube out. His face lights up the minute he sees us, and it makes me so fucking relieved.

“Dad!” Luca exhales before hurrying over to the bedside.

“Hey, my boys.” His voice is raspy, and his throat is probably pretty sore, but he looks okay overall.

I look to my mom, handing her the latte. “When did he wake up?”

“Almost as soon as you left. I tried to text you guys, but you left your phone here.”

“Have the doctors said anything yet?”

“No,” she replies, shaking her head. “The nurse was the one who took out the tube, but the doctor should be by soon, though.”

Walking over to the bed, I pull up a chair. “How are you feeling, old man?”

“Like a million bucks.” He chuckles, but I don’t miss the wince.

“Glad to see you awake. We all are.”

“Gave us quite the scare, Dad,” Luca adds.

“Can’t get rid of me that easily, so don’t worry.”

We spend the next couple of hours catching him up on what’s been going on for the last five days, which, admittingly, hasn’t been a lot. Edward leaves around six to get home, since his company has a New Year’s party he has to host tonight.

Dr. Baker stopped by to check on Andrew, but won’t be making any official decisions about his plan of action until rounds in the morning. He seems pleased with how he’s been doing so far, though.

“So, honey,” my mom says with a smirk, so I already know where this is going. “Our boys have something they’d like to tell you.”

“Really, Mom? Now?” I can’t help but laugh at her ridiculousness. She truly does have a knack for perfect timing.

“What am I missing?” Andrew is looking between Luca and I, utterly confused. “Tell me what?”

“Well…” Luca sits back in his chair, arms linked behind his head. “Are you going to blurt this out, in true Branson fashion, like you did with your mom?”

Fucking Luca.

“Fuck both of you,” I drawl, rolling my eyes so hard, I’m surprised they don’t get stuck.

Looking at each other, they both crack up, laughing so hard they can’t catch their breath. Andrew is still looking lost as all hell, and now I’m laughing too. This is ridiculous.

“Fine, fuck. Luca and I are… we’re together.”

This elicits more roaring laughter from Luca and my mom.

“That’s it?” My mom asks, wiping the tears from her eyes. “That’s all you want to say? What happened to the ‘Luca and I are together, Mom. Like, we have sex and are—’”

“Okay, alright. You don’t need to repeat that.”

More laughter ensues, only now Andrew joins them.

“So glad I can be of entertainment to you all.” Now, I can’t help but laugh. This is the most embarrassing admission of a relationship I think I’ve ever had.

Several moments later, after we’ve all gathered ourselves, Andrew finally says, “So, really? You two, huh?”

“Yup,” Luca says casually. “Us two.”

“We were right, dear?” he remarks, looking at my mom, eyebrow raised in question.

“It seems we were, honey.”

The nurse comes in and tells us visiting hours are over. Mom is going to stay overnight, so Luca and I say our goodbyes and head down to the car.

We’re both pretty exhausted, the last week taking its toll on us. The ride home is mostly silent, with us getting lost in the music playing through the speakers. The tension is nowhere near as thick as it has been, which I know is because we’re both so relieved that Andrew seems to be doing okay.

We won’t know for sure until at least tomorrow, but him being awake, talking, and even laughing, has to be a good sign.

By the time we get back to the house, it’s almost ten and we’re both wiped. Undressing as soon as we get upstairs, we both crawl under the covers and pass the fuck out in each other’s arms almost instantly. It feels like the first time in over a week either of us can relax enough to get a good night's rest.