The sound of the altar bells fills up the sky, thousands of doves from the roof take flight. It’s the first day of June and the wind has a strong petrichor scent; it was forecast to rain around 1 PM.
The people flock to the doors of the church like gulls; the door themselves holds the history of an ancient religion. The rich mahogany is embroidered with tender designs of angels and saints highlighting the craftsmanship in this Southern town.
Like everyone else I rush to the door, consciously knowing what I am trying to avoid. Or I mean, who.
He is so close to me, only a few feet away. Mathew is a man like no other, he is charming, smart and talented. His blue eyes are as blue as the ocean, and next to him I am the titanic and he is my iceberg.
Looking at him reminds me of yesterday; I went to his house to watch a film, I believe it was All That Heaven Allows and all that it allowed was his body next to mine. The temptation was too high, one thing led to another and before I knew it his lips were on mines.
Oh, only if I could forget; we could be friends just like always.
***
I feel the warm aura of someone approaching me as I reach for a seat.
Noah, wait — we have to talk.
Hearing his soft spoken words gave chills to my body.
Not here Mathew, this is not the place to discuss anything. We are in the house of God, not yours.
Noah, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable; I know that I should not have kissed you. But… how could I resist those soft lips of yours, my heart was aching just looking at you.
Only if he knew that I wanted it more than him. Ever since I met him, I always thought of use being together; not in a sexual kind of way.
Shhh, if you speak louder we are going to be the headline of the newspaper. Is that what you want?
I mean, Noah, aren’t we grown? Who cares if we are in the newspaper, all that I care about is you and I.
Our conversation is quickly interrupted by the priest, who quickly begins the service. Without everyone noticing, I slip out my phone and text Mathew. The words come out faster than I can think them, with the feeling that the air will soon miss my lungs.
Mathew, we will meet at the storage at 3PM. Do not make it obvious, don’t follow me.
As from my time as a volunteer, I know the best areas of the church; you known, if you want to have some quiet talk. I just want everything between us to be normal, for once and for all.
***
My heart is pounding as I run up the stairs, for some reason, I feel I am doing something wrong. Is it because we are at the church? If I could just turn around and let this be forgotten.
Hurry, come in and close the door. Now, tell me what is it? You are well aware of how delicate things are if everyone finds out we’re gain, right?
I do not care about the people, what does all of this mean if I don’t have you? You know that god does not care about who we like, but about who we are?
Oh, Mathew.
It seems that the more he talks, the more I remember why I love him. It’s that passion within him, the love, the attention that draws me to him.
Something within me just can’t hold it no more.
Noah, approaches slowly towards me; in a very seductive manner. I can feel his body touching mines, the warmth of his hands onto mines makes me draw closer. I can feel his slow breath near my face, the scent of peppermint enriches my taste; soon our eyes connect.
The passion within me, within us, in this church was out of control. He was all mines and I was all his.
Soon, our lips connected. I can feel the softness of his upper lip as he grabs my behind. I put my arms around his neck and just like that, I was lost in passion. Slowly, I unbutton his shirt and pull him closer to me as I sit in an empty desk.
The storage room was empty, with a sense of coolness. Around us, there were a few chairs, old lamps, and shelves storing vases, statues, and miscellaneous decorations.
Suddenly I remembered that we never locked the door, I removed myself from the desk putting my index finger in between his lips and place the lock on the door.
Noah, throws his shoes at me smiling.
You like that don’t you?
Despite having the lights off, the natural light from the window allows me to see his pearl white teeth, the smirk in his smile makes me feel a heat in my heart. It’s a form of butterflies but only stronger.
***
I go back towards him, we push a pile of books from a chair as we kissed; almost falling to the ground. Steadily, I put my hand into his chest, the creamy feeling of his fresh shaved skin only turned me on more.
You know what I like more about you?
Tell me?
Your lips, said Noah
Suddenly, the sound of foot steps brought our attention back to reality. We jumped off the chair, not knowing what to do. Mathew holds my hand, we stare at each other knowing that our time had come.
We back up, knowing that the door could open at any second. Accidentally, we hit the shelve, one of the glass candle holders fell. Despite of our attempts to catch it, we failed miserably.
It shattered into one-thousand pieces.
Fuck, we are fucked, exclaimed Noah.
***
Did you hear that? Said the priest.
Yes, it was the sound of something breaking. If I am not mistake, it came from the storage room.
Well, we must check. Here, take the offerings to my desk; place it in the left drawer. Here is the key.
***
The steps seem to approach the door, every second was nerve wracking.
Mathew, go behind the chair. Hurry.
I grab a white blanket covered in dust and place it on top of the chair.
The door knob is softly shaken.
Oh shit, I forgot to give you your shoes.
This is strange, why is this door closed? I rarely close it.
As I hear the rustling of the keys, I tried to fix myself as best as I could. In my mind, I already knew what I had to do. Quickly, I dropped another vase.
Oh, my god! I cannot find the door, it’s so dark in here. Can anyone hear me? I need help!
The door cracks open, soon the room is bright with light.
What are you doing in here, son?
Sorry father, I know that I should have went home after the mass; but I forgot something here from when I used to volunteer and was trying to find it.
What was it?
This pair of brown shoes.
Oh, you could have just told me.
I know father, I am deeply sorry for the inconvenience.
Come, it’s time to go home; I have another mass starting soon.
***
I felt a sigh of relief. I cannot believe that we were so close to get caught; it was the best experience that I’ve ever had.
As I exit the church, the first thing I do is text Noah.
Lol, that was so much fun. We really risked a lot. I have your shoes, I will leave them outside the church, by the entrance steps.
You are a lifesaver! Meet you for lunch tomorrow?
Yes, how can I resist to that?
I blushed, honestly, I blushed all the way home. This is the beginning of our love, our dear love.
—
This post was previously published on Medium.
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Photo credit: Cosmic Timetraveler on Unsplash