The man was second-guessing himself, and there was no need to do that.
Michael was all in.
“Does my affection bother you?” he asked. “I’m just behaving like I normally did with you. I can stop if it’s annoying. I understand that you might not want me to be affectionate and that you’re a different person now, too. People change.”
He didn’t want him to stop.
“Is this all real?” he asked. “Are you real?”
Michael was worried about him. Honestly, he was beginning to think the negative energy here might be affecting him.
“I’m real, Graham. It’s real. You just have to tell me what you want,” he said.
God.
He wanted this to be real so he could have D’Artangnan back.
When he didn’t answer, Michael went there, willing to let the man decide. He knew that Graham had looked for him, and held out hope when he didn’t. He wasn’t the saint here.
Graham was.
“Do you want me to stay?” he asked, figuring that was the first step.
There was a pause.
A LONG ONE.
Now, Michael was freaked out.
“Well, that doesn’t make me feel secure,” Michael admitted. “If you have to think about it…”
He stopped him.
“I never wanted you to leave. I lost seven and a half years, D’Artangnan. I didn’t come out of this paralyzing stasis with time like you did. I was trapped here. I lived in its darkness. I never got a chance to get over you.”
Uh-oh.
Michael got that sick feeling in the pit of his stomach that it might just be too late. All of his plans might not matter if the man opted to not take him back.
It was sounding like Graham couldn’t, or wouldn’t, adjust to him now.
“Graham,” Michael said, moving closer.
The man stared into his eyes.
“I’m scared. God. I’m so scared of this moment,” he admitted.
It was rare he’d ever heard Graham say those words since he didn’t frighten easily, but he understood why he was scared.
They’d both done some damage to this relationship, but Michael believed anything worth having was worth fighting for, and he was going to do that.
He wouldn’t walk like last time.
If Graham wouldn’t take him back, he was moving here to make sure he could give himself time to adjust.
Michael was going balls to the wall on this one. He wanted him back, and there wasNOTHINGhe wouldn’t do to get him.
So, in order for Michael to understand, he was telling him everything he was thinking.
