To Whom It May Concern: A For Him Novella by A.M. Johnson

Author:A.M. Johnson [Johnson , A.M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: A.M. Johnson
Published: 2022-02-16T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVEN

* * *

Clay

Everything about Syrus Albie turned me on. The way his nose twitched when he’d caught me staring at him longer than what was socially acceptable, and how he fought with his tousled brown hair every time it fell over his forehead. I couldn’t tell which I preferred more, his blushing silences, or his assured chatter while he’d rambled on about metaphors and tone. Christ, I’d even enjoyed the way he’d chewed his pizza, or maybe it had been the way he methodically took a bite and immediately wiped his mouth with a napkin every single time. I could’ve watched him all night. And now, I liked the easy way he fit in, sitting in my father’s chair, on my back porch, while I rolled a joint and Iris sniffed his shoes. His gaze was fixed on the night sky, and I took the moment to stare at him without reserve. His sleeves were rolled to his elbows, his muscular forearms resting against the arms of the wooden rocking chair. The dark line of stubble along his jaw seemed less severe under the low light of the moon. Stunning didn’t seem an apt-enough descriptor. He was a still life of masculinity and beauty combined.

“Do you smoke?” I asked, and placed the joint between my lips and lit it.

He shook his head, keeping his eyes on the sky. “I never understood the point. Twenty-eight-point six percent of cancer deaths are attributed to cigarettes every year, I’m sure the same can be said about marijuana. I read once that it’s linked to testicular cancer.”

I coughed as I inhaled, choking on the heat, and waved away the long white tendrils of smoke from my face. Catching my breath, I said, “The sun causes cancer, the air we breathe, the water we drink...”

Finally, he looked at me, assessing, always assessing. “If it’s not oxygen, it shouldn’t go into your lungs.”

“I don’t smoke often,” I assured him. Inhaling another long pull, he watched me. “Sometimes… I don’t know. It’s just nice to take a break from all the rules, you know?”

He didn’t answer, at first, itching at his wrist, a habit I’d picked up on earlier. It was intimate the way he looked at me, the eye contact something he only delved out with perfect doses of hazel.

“I guess rules are kind of my thing.”

“Nothing wrong with that.” I smiled before I took another drag, and he watched me intently. “I can put it out, save it for later if—”

He held out his hand. “I'll smoke. One time.”

“God, I just full-on peer pressured you, didn't I?”

“I’m not a fourteen-year-old. And besides, now I’m curious. I never understood the appeal, but I find it’s difficult to form an accurate opinion without experiencing both sides of an argument.”

Chuckling at the deep frown on his face, I handed him the joint. “Go easy or you’ll hack up a lung, alright?”

Syrus nodded, and again I was mesmerized by his mouth and the way his tongue darted out to wet the gentle curve of his bottom lip.

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