Free The Intersection of Purgatory and Paradise by A.J. Thomas

leaned back against his chest. “Fuck.”
    He let himself enjoy the warmth radiating from Christopher’s body a little longer. He had to swallow the bile rising in his throat when he realized he wouldn’t get a chance to come home to find Christopher waiting for him in bed again. He shut his eyes and forced himself to keep breathing. “Give me a ride to the airport?”
    “We can’t fly right into Elkin,” Christopher reminded him. “We might as well just drive back.”
    “I’ll fly into Missoula and bug Brittney for a ride.”
    Christopher’s arms tightened around him, squeezing him so hard he almost couldn’t breathe. “Don’t say shit like that. Yes, I hate it there. I really hate it. But I love you, and there’s no chance in hell I’m going to let you deal with this shit without me.”
    “I’m not going to make you do something you don’t want to do.”
    “Good,” Christopher said quickly. “Because the last thing I want is to stay here alone when I’ve got nothing to do but worry about what’s happening to you up there. Without me, Daniels and Brittney are the only ones likely to believe you didn’t have anything to do with that body.”
    “You’re jumping to some pretty extreme conclusions,” Doug pointed out.
    Christopher loosened his grip and dropped his forehead onto Doug’s shoulder. “I hope you’re right. Come hop in the shower with me, and then we’ll figure things out, okay?”
    Doug checked his phone once more, trying to will it to ring.
    Christopher’s lips were soft against the crook of his neck. “Shower,” he said again.
    Doug followed Christopher into Elliot’s house and set his phone on the counter in the bathroom. Christopher turned the volume up on his own phone and set it down beside Doug’s, then turned to start the water. Doug watched him strip in the mirror, surprised at the pink tint on his chest and back.
    “You got sunburned.”
    Christopher rolled his shoulders. “Yeah. I always do. Regular sunblock’s enough if I’m out in the mountains or a bit inland, but when I’m near the water, I always burn.” Christopher slipped Doug’s T-shirt up over his chest. Doug brought his arms up, letting Christopher undress him.
    “I probably shouldn’t grab you by the shoulders or scratch your back, then, huh?”
    Christopher smiled at his reflection, but the grin didn’t reach his eyes. “I wouldn’t mind. Of course, I wouldn’t mind if you volunteered to rub some burn gel all over me, either.”
    “You have burn gel?”
    Christopher poked him just below his rib cage. “You have burn gel. I’ve seen the little first-aid thing you carry in your wallet. You’re like a Boy Scout. One who’s found a way to get everything you might ever possibly need in tiny foil packets.”
    “I’m not that bad,” Doug muttered.
    Christopher wiggled his hands into the pocket of Doug’s shorts and pulled out his wallet. In the center fold, behind a few bucks in cash, were several packets of antibiotic ointment, cortisone, coagulant powder, and a large packet of burn gel.
    “Okay, I’m that bad. I hate not being able to handle things.” Christopher tugged on the corner of the packet and turned around, exposing his back to Doug. When he brought the foil packet up to his teeth, Doug snatched it from his hands. “Don’t do that! It’s mostly lidocaine. You want your tongue to be numb for the next few hours?”
    Christopher smirked at him. “Would it make anything I lick numb, too?”
    Doug met his gaze and managed to keep a straight face for about ten seconds. No matter what went wrong, he could always count on Christopher to make him laugh. The laughter died as soon as it escaped, though, when he remembered Christopher wasn’t coming home with him. He might be driving Doug back to Montana, but he wasn’t going to stay.
    Christopher pouted dramatically. “Oh, come on. I just got you to smile.”
    Doug tossed the burn gel on the counter. “You need to shower first,”