Bailey glanced up from his phone as his boyfriend padded in from the bathroom. He was not displeased by the view.
"Well, don't you look positively edible," he practically purred the words. It was difficult not to leap from the bed and tackle the man in front of him to the ground, undoing all of the shower's best efforts to get Oakley clean.
Oakley huffed a laugh in response and turned to the wardrobe where his suit hung on the door. Bailey frowned.
"What is it, love?" he asked, watching as Oakley tossed his towel away and slid those perfect buttocks into a pair of boxers.
Oakley shook his head but didn't turn, focusing instead on pulling his freshly pressed suit from its bag.
"Nothing," he lied. Badly.
Bailey tossed his phone onto the bed and rose, running his hands across Oakley's taught, muscular shoulders as he came up behind him.
"Liar," he whispered, relishing the little shiver he sent tripping down Oakley's spin. He pressed a kiss to Oakley's neck and felt his hands fall away from the suit.
Oakley turned to face him, bracing his hands on Bailey's upper arms to stop any movement. His face was creased with worry and he didn't meet Bailey's eyes, looking instead at the floor and the glint of sunlight hitting his polished shoes.
"I... I don't know what he'll say..." he whispered, his brows knotting high on his forehead and a sheen of tears forming over his bright eyes.
Bailey relaxed under his boyfriend's grasp, finally understanding his tension. Oakely's father had been a topic of many fraught discussions in the preceding weeks. He slid his hands around Oakley's slender waist, resting them just above his suit trousers and stroking the soft skin with his fingertips. Oakely's eyes slid shut and he leant his head forward to rest against his boyfriend's.Â
"I've said it before and I'll say it again," Bailey said, softly. "Fuck him." Oakley let out something between a sob and a laugh and squeezed Bailey's forearms tighter. "This is your day, not his, and it's your life, not his."
Bailey nudged Oakley's head up straight and fixed his gaze.
"One day, hopefully, things will be easier between you. There's love there, somewhere, but it's buried under a lot of hurt and pain and anger." Oakley nodded, tears quietly slipping down his cheeks. "But for now, you have to take care of yourself. Be proud of yourself - think how much you've achieved..." He leant forward and placed a sound kiss on Oakley's lips. "Remember how much you're loved. He can't touch that, no one can."
Oakley laughed, sniffing away the last of his tears. "Ever think about going into motivational speaking, love?"
Bailey chuckled and squeezed Oakley's waist, causing him to jerk away at the tickling sensation.
"Feel better?"
Oakley nodded.
"Good." Bailey turned away to grab his phone and jacket. "Now hurry up and get dressed - they don't let you graduate if you're late."Â
