Chapter 7: Burning passion

"We all have read Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen right?" Mr. Ladder, the English teacher who taught home language and History said.

"Well not all of us did." something tried to crack a joke and everyone in class laughed.

Mr. Ladder chuckled, "Well maybe not all of us yes but before winter break, we will all have read Pride and Prejudice because that's what we'll be working on, Romance."

"Sir can't we choose another novel?" Someone shot up.

"Teddy, no we're not choosing another novel. Once we're done reading Pride and Prejudice, you'll understand why I chose this book over hundreds of other novels and I'm sure you'll understand the concept of it." Mr. Ladder said.

Florence sigh, "We know nothing about love since it's forbidden in our school."

Mr. Ladder smiled. "The school is doing what's best to keep everyone focused on school which is why they set those rules. Do you not wonder why none of our students fail? Why it's a prestige school?"

"Rules, we're just locked up in here to waste our youthful years. Wouldn't it be more beautiful if students were allowed to do whatever they wanted to do?" One student said.

"Okay enough of chit-chatting, I'll give each one of you a copy of pride and prejudice and you'll start reading it. This is a serious project and I want you to be serious about it. We'll talk more about the school's forbidden romance with time." Mr. Ladder gradually said.

"When are we discussing this novel sir!?"

"Tomorrow, so you guys better start with reading." Mr. Ladder announced as he gathered his belongings. "That will be all for today, class dismissed."

Hawthorne pulled his backpack and rushed out of the class. It has been a very long day already and he missed Railings. Ha! If someone told him about the possible romance between him and Railings two weeks ago, Hawthorne would probably laugh and punch that person in the face because what a ridiculous thing that was.

When he was young, Hawthorne believed in a lot of philosophical things. You'd wonder how he turned out to be like that.

Star lovers crossed, fairies, matchmakers. Everything that seemed to involve fantasy in romance. One of the time he believed that lovers find each other through each reincarnation and they fall in love with each other once again. He admired how his parents loved each other so much.

But his hopes of true love were shattered when his dearest father left his mother in a pool of tears, telling her that he wanted a divorce. Kent Hawthorne was young back then, he barely knew how to write down his name but he knew what was happening. He understood that much, his father wanted to leave them.

A week after his father broke the news, his mother fell sick and she was admitted in and out of several hospitals until she took her last breath. Just then, his father announced that he was remarrying and the young Hawthorne watched his father bring in a new madame with a child, a child who was five years younger than him.

Hawthorne was then sent to a boarding school that same year and he never saw his father again until he came back to tell him he was moving Hawthorne to another boarding school because he had grown. Hawthorne was fourteen when he moved to Wytham House and now he was just at his sweet sixteen. The second madam always called, trying to soothe things out with Kent Hawthorne but the young man paid him no mind.

It was enough that she took his family from him, he wouldn't dare call her mother and play happy family with him. Did he want to steal Hawthorne as well?

"What are you thinking about?" Railings came unexpected behind him which immediately snapped Hawthorne out of the thought he had going on.

He smiled turning to face Railings,"I missed you, that's why I came."

"You look really bad, are you feeling unwell? What have you been thinking about?" Railings asked out of concern.

Hawthorne smiled, "It's nothing to worry yourself about. I'll be fine with just a hug from you."

Railings didn't waste time as he pulled the shorter male lead in his arms and warmly embraced him. He brushed his back in tender care and moved a little to plant a reassuring kiss on his forehead.

"Whatever has you worried, I hope it fades away." The taller male said.

Hawthorne nodded, still in Railings arms. As the taller moved, Hawthorne still cling unto him which made him laugh because now, he looked like a monkey clinging to it's owner. It sounds very terrific.

"Are you a monkey?" Railings teased.

"Of course I am not, but your arms are very warm I do not want to part from them right now." He muffled, "Can I spend the night here?"

"It's still early, it's five o'clock in the evening and you're already thinking about sleeping?" Railings scoffed.

That made Hawthorne smile as he stepped away from Railings arms. "I have a suggestion, you know I'm not sore anymore so we might as well h—"

Railings laughed, "You're not sore?"

"I'm not sore, believe me. I'm really not sore anymore so we can do other things if it's still early." Hawthorne grinned.

"I wasn't turning you into a sex craved man. Hold your horses, I was referring to food, it is this early and we haven't had supper yet." Railings smirked.

Hawthorne couldn't believe his eyes. How can someone choose food over sex? It was nearly impossible.

"You want food?" Hawthorne questioned.

"You ought to have food." Railings replied.

Hawthorne tilted his head,"Sex is a need as well. We ought to have sex."

"Eventually." Railings scoffed.

Was Railings toying with him? Didn't he enjoy having sex with him? No, those were lies. Railings was definitely on cloud nine after their activity, when after they've done it. He mumbled something about how good Hawthorne was so there is no way that he didn't enjoy having sex with him.

With a kiss on his lips, Railings walked out after telling Hawthorne to go to the cafeteria and have food.

Hawthorne had no choice but to drag his feet there but he was mad. He was mad at Railings but it seemed like he was releasing his anger towards everyone.

Well, not entirely. He wasn't mad at Railings honestly. Hawthorne was a man in need of love and he was a very clingy person. He couldn't help himself.

"You're angry."Sam caught that miles away. "Had a fight with Railings again?"

Hawthorne placed his tray on the table and settled on the chair as he groaned. "He's such a pain in the ass. God! That boy has a kink of pissing me off."

"Something really happened." Sam sighed.

"I swear to God! He'll drive me so insane to the point of no return, that's now much I care about him. You see, if he were to die in front of me, I'd tell him to go faster and once he dies, I'll follow him to hell so I can kill him myself and laugh about it." Hawthorne finished.

He knew he had to play everyone into thinking that him and Railings were still enemies. However that time, Hawthorne's anger towards Railings made things a lot better.

"I didn't know it was this bad." Jones frowned feeling bad for Railings. He was that good of a person. "Then he'd have to suffer that much."

Hawthorne snorted. "Suffer? Do you know how much I'm suffering right now? I'm a step closer to my death and you're worried about some stranger who was born only to annoy me for the rest of my life. Isn't that already torture?"

"Is it." Sam has had enough of Hawthorne's rumbling about Railings so he decided to change the subject. "So, did you hear about the new project Professor Owens is working on? They say he's on the cusp of a major discovery."

Hawthorne grunted, his eyes finally flickering up to meet Sam's. "Owens? Yeah, he's always got some new theory or experiment going on."

"Made me question my life choices in life." Sam sighed.

"Science is good, you just need to focus." Jones told them as he fixed his spectacles.

Sam carefully watched Jones and smiled. "You'll enjoy Science. After all you're a nerd."

"I don't like that word. Bullies often use that word so it rubs off the wrong way when you say it?" Jones sighed.

"Is anyone bullying you?" Sam perked up, ready to fight someone.

Jones shook his head,"No, no one is bullying me I—I was just saying. I don't like that word."

Hawthorne caught sight of Railings standing up with his tray and he quickly stood up as well. "I'll see you guys."

Once he sorted out his tray, he followed Railings to the back of the school. He found Railings with a cigarette between his lips.

It was surprising because he never saw Railings smoke and he's never smell any puff of smoke on him. It was indeed surprising.

"You smoke?"He stepped closer.

"Not always," Railings replied, drawing the smoke as he took a puff. "Sometimes, how'd you found me?"

Hawthorne nodded towards the building. "I followed you."

"Still angry with me?" Railings asked, his expression neutral, yet there was a warmth in his eyes that belied his stoic exterior.

Hawthorne shook his head, stepping closer to Railings and throw his arms around him in an embrace. "No, I'm not angry with you."

Railings made disposed of the cigarette and held Hawthorne closer than he was as he sighed, closing his eyes briefly. "I feel so much better whenever you're in my arms."

"You don't feel good?" Hawthorne asked, a hint of concern lingering in his words.

"I have something going on but I cannot say." He mumbled.

Hawthorne smiled innocently, "Then you don't have to say it, you can find comfort in me."

Railings moved to hold Hawthorne's cheek before he sealed the shorter male's lips in a kiss.

Hawthorne's smiled, a hint of devilishness in his eyes, his hand sliding down the curve of Railings' waist. Railings' shivered, his body responding to his touch with a hunger that matched his own.

"I missed you so much." Railings said, his voice husky with need.

Hawthorne's lips found Railings' again, his kiss fierce and possessive. As their lips moved together, Hawthorne felt as if he was being carried away on a tide of desire and passion. Their bodies pressed closer, their hands exploring each other's curves and contours with an urgency that bordered on desperation.

The world around them seemed to fade away, until all that remained was the heat of their touch, the rhythm of their breath, and the pounding of their hearts in perfect, frenzied syncopation.

"Railings..." Hawthorne's voice was hoarse with desire as he murmured Railings' name against his lips. "I need you. I need you now."

Railings didn't say much, he broke the kiss and led Hawthorne to their dorm room. Careful not to be spotted by anyone else, they were a mess after all.

Once they stepped inside the dorm room, their lips found their way to each other once again. Passionate, fierce and with so much need. It was something they only wanted to share between each other, without any other party. They wanted to have each other, whole of each other.

No had to know. The headmaster, the teachers, their parents, their friends, the students. No one had to know but only them. The school rules? Fuck it! They burnt for each other.

Hawthorne felt himself give in to the desire that burned within him, his need for Railings overriding all rational thought. "I wasn't angry with you earlier."

Railings chuckled. "Then what were you angry with?"

"I—" he breath out heavy. "I don't know, at everything I guess. B—but not you."

Their bodies moved together in a frenzy of passion, their hands tearing at each other's clothes, their lips tracing the contours of skin that had been hidden from view for far too long.

The world around them disappeared, their shared breath becoming the only sound in the universe. And as they surrendered themselves to each other, Hawthorne knew with a sudden clarity that this was where he belonged.

And as their bodies merged, their pleasure rising in a crescendo of sensation, Hawthorne knew that there was nowhere else in the world that he would rather be than in Railings' arms. They moved together, their rhythms in perfect harmony, their hearts beating as one. And when the world exploded in a thousand shards of ecstasy, they clung to each other, their cries of pleasure echoing in the silent dorm room.

In the aftermath of their passion, they lay tangled together, their bodies still entwined. Railings' arm curled around Hawthorne's waist, his fingers tracing a lazy patterns on his skin.

"Kent..." he murmured, his voice still husky with desire. "That was..."

"Incredible," Hawthorne finished, his voice a whisper of awe.

Railings chuckled, his smile lazy and satisfied. "You know, I think that 'little exercise' was just what I needed."

Hawthorne snuggled closer to him, his lips brushing against his ear. "You know, Railingg," he whispered. "I think we've got a new definition of relaxing.'"

Railings laughed, his body shaking with mirth. "Oh, you're a real comedian, aren't you?"

Hawthorne grinned, his cheeks flushed with pride. "I aim to please," he teased.

With a smile, Railings kissed Hawthorne's forehead and murmured a goodnight.