Where the Lines Overlap Ch. 05

"That's not the point—"

"But it is the point. Kevin, this relationship isn't going to work if you keep thinking it won't work. Before you deny it, I know Kev, I can see the doubt in your eyes. So just stop okay?"

I sighed and closed my eyes. "You sound like my brother."

"Well he's right. He is the smart one between you two after all."

"Aren't you supposed to be on my side?"

"Just because I'm dating you, doesn't mean I agree with you on everything." He walked over and wrapped his arms around my waist. "The people who matter don't mind that we're dating. I hope you would eventually believe that too."

"I'm trying, Taron. I can't change the way my brain thinks in a snap."

"That's all I'm asking for Kev. Just stop trying to think about all the ways this could go wrong and focus on all the things that could go right. Like I said, people don't care about interclass relationships."

But life had other views on the matter, because it was only the next day that it decided to remind me of how wrong that was.

It was supposed to be a normal Monday, other than the test that Ken and I would be taking. The test that would decide what job to place us in for the rest of our lives. Neither Ken and I were worried though, because like I said, we both basically knew where we were going to be placed.

By mid afternoon, the test was done and Alena and Taron had decided to surprise us at the learning centre. Alena had a single balloon with 'congratulations' written on it in bold colorful letters. Taron, on the other hand, had given both of us custom made wristbands which had 'too cool for school' written on them.

"You don't really qualify as cool though," Taron shot at Ken. Of course, given Ken and Taron's rivalry, the gift was accompanied my an insult; something I couldn't help but chuckle at.

"Kev, keep your boyfriend in tow or I'll be forced to hurt him."

We had gone for a celebratory dinner at one of the finer restaurants I've ever stepped foot in, which served some of the best food I've ever had the pleasure of devouring. From the way things were going, it was no wonder I thought that the night was going to go smoothly. Even Taron and Ken were seeing eye to eye...well, most of the time.

I knew she didn't mean to, but I could see how Alena's gaze would so often fall onto Taron and I, before a small smile would spread on her face. She definitely wasn't being subtle about what she thought about our relationship. Ken on the other hand, was more covert in his glances, not even letting his expression betray his thoughts.

Somehow at the end of dinner, Taron had found some excuse to get us away from the other two, not that they were putting much of an effort to keep us there anyway. You could sense the way they were just waiting for us to excuse ourselves.

"So, now that we're alone? What do you want to do?" Taron asked. You didn't need to be a mind reader to know that Taron was hinting at a quiet date. Me on the other hand, was slightly more apprehensive about that idea. Not completely opposed to the idea of it but definitely nervous. I mean we have shared a quick kiss here and there but we hadn't gone much further. I know my apprehension is strange, seeing that I've already had my hand around his dick, and my dick in his crack but...I don't know. There was this strange feeling stopping me.

"Can we go to the gym?" I said.

"What? The gym?" he exclaimed. "I was thinking something more romantic?"

'I know, and that's exactly why I don't want to,' I thought.

"Oh come on, it's been a few weeks since I last went," I said. Maybe to try and throw Taron off the reason why I didn't want to go for some romantic date thing, I added, "I have to keep in shape so you don't leave me."

"You don't have to worry about that Kev. I'm pretty sure I'm not going anywhere," he laughed. "Seriously though, you really want to go to the gym?" The look he gave me told me how much he wish I would say no. I instead nodded my head, which only caused him to sigh. "Fine then."

The dejected look that came over him made me feel slightly bad, but like I said, I didn't think I was ready. For what, I didn't even know, just that I wasn't ready. To maybe make up for disappointing him, I walked up to him and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks Taron."

"Yeah yeah, I'm the best. C'mon then," he said, leading me back to his hovercar. I held his hand as we walked though, giving him at least some comfort after I had put down his idea.

When we arrived at the gym, I expected the stares that came our way. Not only did Taron and I, who had been at loggerheads with each other when everyone else was concerned, come in together, Taron's arm was wrapped loosely around my shoulders. Taron had been so forward with wanting the people around us to know we were dating, the gym guys were no exception. Sure we didn't kiss in front of them or anything, but the change was drastic enough that everyone took notice.

Even after we got changed and started our separate workouts, the stares didn't seem to stop. The gym occupants continued with their routines too, but they would periodically look to one another, silently asking the questions that were on their minds. I managed to, for the most part, ignore the unwanted attention. Taron too, completely ignored the soft whispers that travelled from one corner of the gym to the other.

Eventually, the whispers and stares died down after everyone had gotten used to the latest gossip of the gym. I smiled to myself, suddenly realizing how the interclass stigma that I had, didn't seem to carry into real life. I mean, here was a room full of elites and they all didn't seem to care, after they were done with their gossip of course. Just another tick for how everyone around me seemed to be smarter than I am.

Close to an hour later, I was done with my workout, feeling thoroughly satisfied and well worked. I walked over to Taron, who was still in the middle of a bench press set. As I approached, he finished and lay the metal bar onto its stand.

"Hey, I'm done. You?" I asked.

"One more set and I'm done," he replied.

"Cool, I'll just head to the showers first." He nodded, before I turned and headed to the locker room.

Making a beeline for my locker, I could hear the showers running in the background, unsurprising since there were other gym goers. As per usual, I stripped out of my sweaty clothes and threw them to the laundry, before wrapping a towel around my waist.

As I approached the showers, I could hear faint voices over the water Two of them. At first it didn't bother me at all; people talk in the shower all the time. But then I heard one sentence that made me stop in my tracks, just behind the wall leading to the showers.

"So, what about Taron and Kevin?" The voice sounded familiar but I could quite put the face to the voice.

"What about them?" The other voice replied. I recognized that voice though. It was Trent, an elite whose personality was as big as his muscles. He was a nice guy who seemed to get along with almost everyone, including me. In fact, he was actually the elite who helped me with my shower when I was still an ignorant first time gym goer.

Seeing that I knew one of the voices belonged to Trent, it suddenly clicked who the other voice belong to. Brian. The two were basically gym buddies, never seeing one without the other whenever the gym was concerned. Compared to Trent, Brian was the more reclusive one, even coming off as cold at times. He didn't really talk to me much, not that I really wanted too anyway. He was lanky, at least for an elite, tall with classic handsome features and he looked and played every part the mean high school jock. I always found it weird how someone as cool as Trent could be friends with someone like Brian.

"Didn't you see them just now?" Brian asked.

"Yeah, who didn't. Pretty much the whole gym was abuzz with gossip." Trent replied, a slight playful undertone in his voice.

"So, it's weird right?" Brian asked. I could almost see his face pulled into his obnoxious scowl. Out of everyone, of course he would be the one who would disapprove of the relationship Taron and I had, so I couldn't say I was actually surprised.

"What's so weird about it? I mean sure, I never knew Taron swung for the other team but who cares?" Trent replied. "Wait...are you homophobic?" I raised my eyebrow. Sure I didn't really know Brian like Trent did, but even I could tell that that wasn't what Brian was insinuating.

"Not that you idiot. I'm talking about an elite, screwing with a natal," Brian corrected. There was silence after that, no sound coming from either Trent or Brian. The sudden end to the conversation made me think that I could have possibly gone deaf, but the sounds of the water pouring from the shower continued without pause. "Dude, are you listening to me?"

"You're...joking right?" Trent spoke, uncertainty in his tone.

"Joking? About what?"

"From the way you spoke, it sounded to me like you think that interclass relationships are wrong."

"Because it is," Brian said, like the matter was written in stone.

"Whoa whoa man, you sound really classist right now." Trent said. You could almost feel the tension in the air. I probably wasn't as affected by the revelation seeing that I had the same mindset just a few days ago. Of course, hearing it with my own ears did make it sound a lot worse than it did in my head.

"What? I'm not being classist. I just think that the social class system was implemented for a reason."

"Dude, that is classist."

It was that moment that I felt my body pulled forward by my arm. I looked over and saw Taron, his hand on my forearm, pulling me into the showers. For a moment, shock was the only thing that registered on my brain, not even noticing the scowl that painted Taron's face. I followed as Taron pulled me in the direction of the only other two people in the showers, namely Trent and Brian.

It was a couple of yards away from them did I start to realize what was happening. Taron had listened in on the conversation as well, and he didn't like what he had heard. Something was about to go down and I didn't know if there was anything I could do to stop it.

"Hey Brian," Taron said, stopping us directly in front of Brian's shower, turning so we facing each other. "Fuck off," Taron finished, crashing his lips against mine. I was torn between pulling away and deepening the kiss. Public displays of affection weren't really my thing, but the fact that this was in a way putting Brian in his place was somewhat intriguing, erotic even. When I heard the shower to my right cut off and the slapping of wet feet against the floor slowly retreating, I knew that Brian had left. It was only once the footsteps were completely gone that Taron broke the kiss.

By now, I had a significant tent in the towel wrapped around my waist. I looked down and noticed Taron with a similar boner, albeit without the modest cover of a towel. I felt myself blush, only to have it deepen when I noticed Trent leaning against the shower divide, just over Taron's shoulder. "Well I guess it's not really rumors anymore then," Trent spoke, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Is there a problem with that?" Taron asked, still on the defensive after what he heard from Brian.

"Nope, no problem whatsoever. In fact, I commend you for your little display. Sure shut him right up," Trent said, which only made me confused.

"I thought you two were friends though," I asked

"I wouldn't call us friends, more like gym compatriots. We don't even hang out outside of gym, especially so now that I know the views he hold. I mean I know classism is a thing, but I never thought I would actually know someone who subscribes to that ideology."

"So you're really okay with...this...us?" I asked.

"Yeah, of course! Heck, it's about time more people integrate with other social classes. Wasn't there that initiative or something?" I smirked. Yeah it was exactly that initiative that kinda led to Taron and I being a thing. "But anyway, I'll leave you two then. It seems you both have more...pressing matters to attend to," Trent said, his eyes darting down just a split second to indicate our erections.

I blushed again as Trent walked past us, chuckling as he went. I looked to Taron who was staring directly at me, not at all embarrassed at being caught with an hard on. "Don't listen to him okay? He doesn't know shit," Taron said, barely a whisper. I immediately knew he was talking about Brian.

"Yeah, I know."

"You sure, because I can totally continue with the whole PDA thing," he said.

"Please don't. I mean it when I say I'm getting to the point where I don't care what other people think anymore. No need for unnecessary amounts of public fondling or whatever."

"Public fondling? What did you think I was gonna do? Give you a handjob in front of Trent?" he laughed, raising an eyebrow at me.

"No," I shot back but was unable to hide the blush that crept up on my cheeks.

"Aww, is Branson getting embarrassed?" Taron said, before catching me off guard by grabbing my semi hard cock through my towel. I let out an involuntary gasp at his touch, my body instinctively moving towards him. Taron brought his lips to my ear, whispering with his deep sultry voice, "How about we finish what we started the last time we were in here?"

"Taron, stop it. What if someone comes in?" Swatting at his hand and half heartedly trying to worm away. Either his grip was much stronger than I expected or I subconsciously wasn't trying hard enough to stop what was going to happen, but either way, Taron's hand remained firmly grasping my quickly inflating cock.

"Then they'll have a nice show. Besides, I think you may have an undiscovered exhibitionist side to you based on how hard you are." He whispered once again, his smooth voice causing goosebumps to erupt across my skin. My knees suddenly felt weak, immediately buckling underneath my weight. As if expecting the reaction, Taron's arms wrapped around me, supporting my weight as my legs struggled. Slowly, I found myself regain some strength in my lower extremities, just enough for Taron to lead me forward, towards the stall at the end of the showers.

"We shouldn't," I breathed out.

"But we want to," he finished, completing the thought that I didn't dare speak aloud. Somewhere along the way to the cubicle, my towel was discarded, left in a sad pile on the floor. At the same time, Taron had proceeded to lock his lips to mine, giving me a slow and sensual kiss that was ticking all the right boxes. Every stroke of his hand over my now rock hard dick sent a wave of pleasure coursing through me, making me moan in response.

Eventually, we arrived in the somewhat secluded spot at the end of the showers. It wasn't exactly private, but it would definitely take any unsuspecting visitor a second before they noticed anything amiss, not that either of us would have cared at that point. We were both too far gone into the throes of lust and passion that nothing could have been able to stop us it seemed.

Through it all, Taron had taken a leading role, his hands roaming my body, exploring and memorizing every little ridge. Me on the other hand, was for some strange reason, barely participating. I mean I was enjoying everything, but my hands never moved except when guided by Taron. I moaned and shuddered ever so often, but I wasn't actively doing anything out of my own volition.

Taron broke the kiss, not at all giving notice of my apparent lack of participation. He turned, bringing his back to me, pulling me to him with his arm. "Now it's more like that day," he smirked, rubbing his ass back against my now leaking cock. He leaned his head back against my shoulder, exposing his neck to me once again. "I can't begin to describe how good you felt that day."

With one hand on mine, he led my arm around his body, holding my palm flat against his abs. The feel of his hot skin made my heart beat race, set every nerve in my body firing. Dipping my head into the crook of his neck, I breathed in his scent and let it intoxicate me. My eyes slowly slid shut as I savored the feel of his skin against mine, the sensation of his muscles underneath my fingertips, Taron's hand guiding mine along his body heading southward. I opened my mouth, biting down lightly onto his shoulder while he maneuvered my hand to his throbbing cock.

It was that moment, fueled by the feel of his heat in my hand and the taste of his skin on my tongue, that set off my memories. Like a flashback that couldn't be stopped, memories flowed through me at blinding speed. Everything came back to me in an instant. Images of the bruise left on his neck and hands assaulted me, making me jerk away from Taron.

The abruptness of my retreat made Taron turn in confusion as he searched my face for the reason of my rejection of him. I stared at his face, my eyes subconsciously darting between his shoulder, where I left the mark, and his eyes. The look on my face must have triggered something in Taron too, for not a second later, his eyes softened.

"Kev, are you okay?" He asked, taking a step forward, to which I put a hand up, stopping his advancement. I felt the bile rising in my throat as I fought the sudden wave of nausea that hit me. The same nausea that I felt that day when I was running from the gym. I supported myself against the wall, as I battled with the urge to throw up, trying to choke it back. Distracted, Taron had come up behind me, wrapping his arms around my chest. "I'm right here," he said, hugging my now trembling body to his.

"I...I can't do this," I choked out, not pulling out of his grasp. It didn't feel wrong when Taron held me like that, not like when I was doing to him just moment ago.

"Hey, it's okay. You're okay," he said, kissing me lightly on my shoulder.

"I...I...can't forgive myself," I said, feeling myself getting angry. "I'm pathetic."

Taron spun me around sharply, looking at me with a frown on his face. "You're not pathetic," he said.

"Aren't I? I took advantage of you and then instead of confronting my mistake, I ran. I don't know about you but that seems pretty pathetic," I spat. I wasn't angry at Taron but at myself. I had no right to be this way, no right to allow my memories to haunt me.

"Kev, I told you it wasn't rape if—" Taron started but I cut him off.

"Even when you say that, I still feel guilt whenever I think about it. Then there are these stupid flashbacks, constantly reminding me of my mistakes," I said, feeling my eyes welling up. I chuckled, one that wasn't filled with humor but self hate and humiliation. "Isn't it pathetic, when the rapist is the one experiencing traumatic flashbacks. It should be the other way round, but no of course I had to go and make myself the victim."

I stared into Taron's eyes, glaring him down, trying so hard to make him understand what I meant. He didn't get it. Even I didn't get it. He shouldn't like me or like me running my hands over him. He should be repulsed by my touch, running for the hills at the sight of me. Instead he stands there, his hands placed by my waist, staring into my eyes.

I thought I was over all this bullshit. I thought I had come to terms with the fact that I hadn't taken advantage of Taron, but I was wrong. No matter what Taron had said, I had forced myself onto him against my better judgement. It just so happened that Taron allowed it to happen, but what if he didn't? What if I had in fact overpowered him and made him do something he didn't want. I guess that was what I was having difficulty accepting about this whole thing.

"I know what you're thinking," he said, running his hand across my cheek. "You're a good person Kev. Don't discount yourself because of one thing."

At his words, I felt a single tear spill over, running down my cheek before it stopped when it contacted Taron's hand. He wiped it away with his thumb before pulling me to him, hugging me so tightly it felt like the air was being squeezed out of me. I didn't care though, wanting more than ever to feel his warm embrace.