37

tried to find ways to distract himself from his thoughts. He worked hard each day. During the weekdays, he would spend hours at the training field practicing shooting. During the weekend, he read books or studied. He never missed a night's sleep and barely ate. It wasn't until the third week that he finally had enough. On Sunday, Alexander decided to sneak away and go back to his apartment. While he usually went on Sundays to read in bed, he had promised his grandmother he would go to church. As he entered the church, he was surprised to see no one at all inside. He hadn't been to church since his father died.

As he wandered aimlessly around the room looking for a place to sit, he noticed someone sitting at one of the pews near the front. When Alexander caught sight of the person, he instantly recognized him. It was David.

"Hi, David." Alexander greeted tentatively.

"Alex!" David exclaimed happily and hurried over to him. "What are you doing here?"

"My grandmother sent me here because I missed church today." Alexander answered honestly.

"Oh, I know what you mean. I haven't missed church for years." David nodded. "Well, I guess it is about time we went to church together."

"Yeah. Maybe we should go after the service." Alexander suggested.

"Sure. That'd be great." David agreed.

"Let's go." Alexander grinned.

They both stood up and started making their way towards the doors. They stepped out of the church and started walking towards the car.

"Are you going to ride home with me?" Alexander asked curiously.

"Actually, I was planning on driving home alone." David replied. "But I suppose we can stop somewhere first."

"Really? Why?" Alexander tilted his head to the side in confusion.

"Because..." David trailed off and bit his lip nervously. "Because I want to kiss you." He admitted softly.

Alexander blushed slightly, but managed to maintain a calm exterior.

"Ok. We can do that. Let's go." Alexander said with a nod.

He opened the door for David before getting into the driver's seat.

"Where are we going?" David asked curiously.

"Somewhere where we can be alone for a little bit." Alexander smirked.

"Are we going to make out?" David winked.

"Maybe." Alexander laughed lightly and drove off down the road.

An hour later, Alexander parked his car in a driveway and turned to look at David.

"We're here." He stated.

David leaned forward and kissed Alexander briefly before climbing out of the car.

"This isn't really how I imagined kissing you." David admitted as he followed Alexander up the driveway.

Alexander chuckled.

"Me neither." He admitted. "It seemed more fun in my imagination than in real life."

"Your imagination." David repeated.

Alexander rolled his eyes.

"Don't say it like that." Alexander groaned. "If I didn't write it, I wouldn't have dreamed of it."

David laughed.

"Alright. Come on." Alexander led David inside the house and upstairs. They walked past the living room and towards the door leading into his bedroom. They stopped outside of the door and Alexander grabbed the handle.

"Here goes nothing." Alexander muttered as he unlocked the door.

He pushed open the door and took a few steps into the room. He paused when he saw that the room was completely empty. He turned back to look at David who was standing awkwardly by the doorway.

"Where is he?" Alexander asked, confused.

"Um... I don't know." David replied.

"You don't know?" Alexander frowned. "Didn't you go to his house?"

"Yeah." David nodded. "He wasn't there."

"So... Where did he go?" Alexander inquired as he scratched his head.

"I have no idea, Alexander." David shook his head. "I've checked everywhere."

"You checked everywhere?" Alexander gasped, shocked.

David nodded quickly.

"Well, why don't we start searching then?" Alexander suggested, shrugging. "I'm sure he'll turn up eventually."

"You think so?" David asked in surprise.

"Yeah." Alexander nodded. "Come on." He started making his way across the room.

He walked over to a wardrobe and opened it.

"Hey, Alexander. What are you doing?" David asked curiously.

"Searching through his clothes." Alexander answered simply.

"Why?"

"No reason." Alexander shrugged. "Look, I don't know where he went. We should start looking around. There must have been some sort of explanation behind this sudden disappearance."

"Ok." David murmured slowly. "But why are you wearing a dress?"

Alexander froze.

"Uh.... Uh..." He stammered nervously. "Just wear whatever, ok?"

"Whatever you say, Alexander." David smiled teasingly. "Should we start by taking things off?"

"Not exactly." Alexander mumbled, turning around and hiding his face with his hands. "Just come on."

"Ok. Just a second, please." David chuckled quietly.

Alexander looked back over his shoulder. David was removing his shirt.

"What are you doing?" Alexander demanded loudly.

"What does it look like?" David giggled, turning around.

"That's not the point!" Alexander protested.

David pulled his shirt over his head and dropped it onto the floor.

"Come here." David commanded.

Alexander hesitated.

"Don't worry." David assured him. "You're safe."

Alexander let out a shaky breath and slowly walked over to David.

"Good boy." David praised as he wrapped an arm around his waist.

Alexander stiffened a bit, but allowed David to pull him closer. After a few seconds, he relaxed and wrapped his arms around David's neck.

"Better?" David asked playfully.

Alexander nodded slightly, not trusting his voice to speak again.

"How about now?" David wondered.

"Much better." Alexander smiled as he rested his forehead against David's.

A moment later, they were interrupted by a knock on the door. Both Alexander and David jumped apart. Alexander blushed brightly and covered his face with his hands as David sighed.

"Coming! Hold your horses." David called sarcastically.

He grabbed his shirt from the floor and slipped it back on while Alexander picked his sweater back up and returned it to where it belonged.