Awakening by Terry O'Reilly

Author:Terry O'Reilly [O'Reilly, Terry]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2012-05-17T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

Despite their declaration of the need to talk, the two men lay in each other’s arms for several more minutes, both reluctant to begin a conversation that held promise of sadness for them. Nathaniel lay on his back, with Jonathan beside him, head on his chest. Nathaniel stroked Jonathan’s hair as the younger man softly rubbed his cheek in Nathaniel’s luxuriant chest. He swirled the hair between his navel and penis with his right hand.

Finally they broke their verbal fast simultaneously.

“We really need…”

“I want you to understand…” they said together.

“Go ahead,” said Nathaniel.

“No, you,” replied Jonathan, raising himself to a half sitting position and looking into his lover’s eyes.

Nathaniel pulled him back down and sighed. “All right.”

“I want you to understand what I meant when I said ‘until the wedding’.”

Jonathan nodded.

Nathaniel continued. “The peril we face in our situation is great. Yet, if we were to be caught now, we might escape our punishment if we repented and vowed to seek God’s grace for the fortitude to withstand temptation.”

Again Jonathan nodded his head into the man’s chest.

He continued. “Once you are married, the danger to our lives is increased. With your betrothal it has already increased. Yet, we are still fornicators. But, if we were to be caught after your marriage, there would be no mercy. We would surely be put to death as adulterers. I couldn’t bear having brought that upon you.”

“Nor I, you,” said Jonathan. Then sitting up to look directly at Nathaniel, he quickly added, “But there may yet be a way to resolve this for us.”

Nathaniel raised his eyebrows questioningly.

Jonathan continued. “On Sunday I met with Reverend Matheson. He told me many things about how a man is supposed to behave in marriage. One thing he did say, which was of great interest, is that the marriage could be dissolved if a man could not…perform.”

Jonathan paused and furrowed his brow. “I do not know whether I can perform or not, but I could pretend ‘tis the case and…”

“How is that to be accomplished?” Nathaniel questioned.

“If I were not to perform, Rebecca could bring this charge to the council. They would declare publicly the situation and the marriage would be over.” Jonathan finished and smiled tentatively.

For a second time Nathaniel drew Jonathan back into his embrace. “I could not ask you to do that. The ridicule, the humiliation. You would lose all your status in the community, your job, your family.”

This time Jonathan did not merely raise himself from Nathaniel. He got on his knees and pressed his palms onto the man’s shoulders, pinning him to the bed.

“And what are my job, my status, my family without you? I have just awakened, as if I had been asleep all my life and found love and happiness with you. Now, I am to have all taken away. Humiliation and loss of status are a small price to pay.”

Nathaniel reached up and took Jonathan’s face in his hands. He gently drew Jonathan to his lips and kissed him. Jonathan relaxed at the touch of the man’s lips and lay back down in his arms.

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