*Extended chapter

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Thomas didn't realise how much he missed waking up next to someone as he found himself in bed with Ethan the next morning.

Stretching his aching limbs, Thomas felt the cosy bedsheets graze his bare skin. One of Thomas' arms were weighed down by Ethan's heavy torso, and the bodyguard also felt the other man's body heat radiating out of him - making Thomas feel enveloped with warmth and comfort.

Thomas' eyes were barely open when he looked down at their entwined bodies. Thomas noticed that Ethan was facing away from him, but he also saw how their naked sides were still pressed against each other.

Running his hand down Ethan's nearby arm, Thomas wanted to feel even closer to Ethan. He was gentle as he wanted to tease Ethan, and Thomas chuckled to himself when he felt Ethan's skin quickly fill with goosebumps.

Ethan began to stir in his sleep as he shuffled around on the spot. His body was still wrapped around Thomas' arm as Ethan began to tuck his own body inwards.

Thomas ran a finger down Ethan's spine as he stared at Ethan's golden skin. Placing a kiss in between his shoulder blades, Thomas snuggled in closer and hugged Ethan from behind.

Ethan was now awake as a dazzling smile appeared on his face. He was enjoying being pressed against Thomas' body as he then wrapped his own arms around Thomas' arms.

"Morning." Thomas smiled as he stroked the back of Ethan's hands.

"It would be if you let me sleep." Ethan chuckled.

"Sorry," Thomas apologised. "I just got excited when we woke up like this."

Ethan blindly reached under the duvet and felt how Thomas meant it in more ways than one. He began to wholeheartedly laugh when Thomas began to press kisses onto his neck - showing him his enthusiasm.

Ethan let go of his grasp on Thomas as he then turned his body around to to face him. Once he saw the blinding smile on Thomas' face, Ethan felt the need to kiss Thomas on his gentle lips.

Thomas gave Ethan one kiss after the another, because it was something he could never get tired of. Ethan had pulled away first, because he moved his head onto Thomas' firm chest.

"Your muscles makes you really comfy," Ethan chuckled as he made himself more comfortable in Thomas' embrace. "I want to close my eyes for a little bit longer."

Thomas kissed the top of Ethan's head as he made himself comfortable too. He was no longer tired as he just wanted to memorise how their bodies were peaceful and entwined.

Soon enough, Ethan became more lively as he asked. "What time is it?"

Thomas rolled towards the bedside table and looked at Ethan's nearby phone. "A little after 10. You've also got a message from Kristen by the way."

Ethan caught the phone that Thomas passed him. He unlocked his phone in front of Thomas as he paraphrased the message, "Kristen's asking if I want to get lunch with her and Harrison later."

Ethan looked away from his phone so that he could ask Thomas, "Come with me?"

"If I tag along then I need to go to the airport straight afterwards," Thomas pointed out. "You cool with that?"

"Of course." Ethan answered as he began to text Kristen.

"We're going to need lunch if we're skipping the rest of breakfast." Thomas suggested as he began to play with Ethan's bare chest.

Ethan had a smirk on his face as he dropped his phone somewhere on the bed. "And why is that?"

"I need to give you my farewell present before I leave..."

Ethan laughed as he watched Thomas roll on top of him. Their naked bodies were pressed against each other as Thomas quickly gave Ethan a heated kiss.

Thomas began to slide down Ethan's body as he was now hidden away underneath the duvet cover. Ethan was no longer able to see Thomas, he could only feel Thomas on his body, and Ethan knew that the same man was going to make his mind and body explode with fireworks.

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The long shower they took together made Ethan and Thomas late to lunch. Ethan took full responsibility since it was his idea, and because he was the one that pushed them both to make out under the hot steamy shower.

Ethan eventually drove them to the luxury cafe that Kristen had picked out. The car ride was calming as the small talk was just so authentic that it made Ethan feel happy to just be around Thomas.

They walked into the cafe together as Ethan eventually found Kristen and Harrison at one of the corner tables. Ethan hugged them both as he joined the table, and Thomas politely waved at them as he sat besides Ethan.

"I'm so sorry that I didn't initially invite you Thomas," Kristen quickly apologised. "It's just because I thought you mentioned your flight was at around 8am."

"I changed my flight last minute to the afternoon," Thomas explained. "Ethan's actually driving me to the airport after this lunch."

Harrison offered his services when he heard Thomas was going to the airport straight afterwards. "I can take you if you want?" Harrison offered, "It's actually on my way to see my brother - probably about 5 minutes away."

"It's fine Harrison, I want to drive Thomas there anyway." Ethan said.

Thomas had a painfully sweet smile on his face when he saw Ethan blush behind his menu. Because Ethan's face was hidden away from his family, Thomas could watch Ethan's reaction as he put a comforting hand on Ethan's leg under the table.

Ethan could see that Thomas was on the verge of teasing him. Ethan was left amused as he cursed under his breath, "Shut up!"

Thomas threw his napkin at Ethan as he began to wholeheartedly laugh with him. Kristen and Harrison were interrupted from their own conversation, because they were both looking at them clueless.

Kristen and Harrison only witnessed two friends bantering with each other. However they were unable to recognise the affectionate look in Thomas' eyes as he smiled widely at Ethan.

After a little while, a waitress walked up to their table and asked, "You guys ready to order?"

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The wait for their food wasn't long as the table was soon filled with expensive and delicious dishes.

Kristen came back from the bathroom in time to see the waitress leave. Taking a large drink from her glass of water, Harrison was whispering in her ear as he rubbed her back.

"You okay?" Ethan checked. "I've never seen you run so fast before."

Kristen nervously laughed as she dismissed all of Ethan's concerns. "Let's just eat! This all looks so good!"

Thomas was thoroughly enjoying the last meal he had with Ethan before his flight home. The hanger steak was beautifully seasoned, as the creamy mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus made a perfect plate of flavour.

"You want some?" Thomas offered.

Ethan nodded his head as he watched Thomas put some on his fork. Because Kristen and Harrison weren't paying any attention to them at the moment, Ethan leaned his head forward and let Thomas feed him.

"It's delicious." Ethan smiled.

Ethan was in the middle of sharing his duck confit with Thomas when he saw Kristen show off a magazine in her hands. Kristen had a joyous look in her eyes as she was presenting something to the table.

"What overpriced jewellery do you want to buy now?" Ethan joked.

Kristen faked a saddened pout as she placed the magazine face down in front of Ethan. "I just thought you wanted to see this in person." Kristen laughed.

Ethan put down his cutlery as he then flipped the magazine the right way round. Ethan had a massive grin on his face when he saw the bachelor interview for the magazine he did earlier this month. But dread quickly settled in when Ethan remembered everything that was being used.

Normally Ethan would have been showing off his magazine spread to anybody that was around. He would usually put it on full display in the office, and Ethan would also plaster it all over his social media accounts.

However, Ethan has never been the same ever since he met Thomas. The initial reason of why he first hid his interview from Thomas, was because he felt embarrassed about Thomas seeing his unpleasant ego and vanity.

After connecting with Thomas on multiple levels of intensity, Ethan swore that he was never going to let Thomas see and read anything from his magazine spread.

Thomas had a different idea as he peered over Ethan's shoulder. Thomas saw a shirtless guy on the cover, and he also began to read the headline that had a massive font.

"Ohio's most eligible bache-"

Ethan pressed the magazine close to his own chest, he was hiding his shame so that Thomas couldn't ever see it.

Thomas laughed as he reached for the magazine. "Why are you being so weird? Let me read-"

Ethan acted like a child in the playground as he swung the magazine out of Thomas' reach. He was stretching the magazine away from Thomas as Ethan was trying his best at never letting Thomas see it.

Harrison also thought Ethan's behaviour was odd, because he was so used to Ethan proudly boast about making it to the top 5. "Ethan?"

Ethan ignored everyone as his attention was solely on Thomas. "You can't read this." Ethan told Thomas firmly.

"Why?" Thomas chuckled.

Ethan struggled to think of an answer that wouldn't be self-incriminating. "It's just something you wouldn't be interested in." Ethan said casually.

"Hot men on a magazine? That's totally my thing..."

Ethan was shaking his head as he was clutching the magazine tightly. "This one won't be!"

Thomas had a glint in his eyes as he came to a certain conclusion. Given that the magazine was about bachelors in Ethan's home city, Thomas had an inkling that the deceptive person in front of him was extremely connected to the topic of interest.

"Are you in it?" Thomas teased.

Thomas took Ethan's silence and flushed face as a confirmation. He couldn't help but laugh to himself, because he knew that Ethan was hiding something juicy.

"Now you have to let me see it..." Thomas whispered.

Ethan was shaking his head repeatedly as he pushed the magazine into Kristen's hands. "Never let that man see this!"

A puzzled Kristen held the magazine as she was just as confused as everyone else. "Why?"

Ethan kept looking between the pair of eyes that were staring back at him. Kristen was confused because of Ethan's abnormal behaviour, Harrison was patient as he was waiting for Ethan's response, and Thomas was beaming with an enthusiastic grin.

"As my big sister, it is your role to protect me." Ethan reasoned. "So please be my big sister, and never let this man see it."

"But-"

"We have a code!" Ethan begged, "Please don't embarrass me in front of Thomas."

Kristen had never seen Ethan so desperate about anything like this before. The magazine issue was such a minor problem in Kristen's eyes, and so this left Kristen with more questions than answers.

"Sorry Thomas." Kristen apologised as she returned the magazine back to her purse.

Thomas was extremely disappointed that he couldn't see the magazine. He quickly silenced Ethan's celebratory cheer as he whispered to him, "I'm going to find it someday."

"Good luck Tommy!" Ethan laughed. "This magazine isn't going to published anytime soon, and it certainly won't be seen in Argentina either."

Thomas laughed because he wasn't going to give up so easily. He was extremely curious to find out why Ethan was so protective about it, and so Thomas began to think of ways to get the magazine without Ethan's interference.

~~~~~~~~~~

"I rather put lemon juice on my cuts than let you see it!"

Even in the car ride to the airport, Thomas was doing his best to annoy Ethan into letting him see it. Thomas had bargained with a lot of things that would appeal to Ethan, but this was the one thing Thomas couldn't get out of Ethan.

"Now you're being unreasonable!" Thomas laughed. "It can't be that bad."

Ethan was tapping his fingers against the steering wheel as he tried to explain, "It's just personal, and it's going to be really weird if you see it."

Thomas continued to tease Ethan as he wasn't satisfied with anything Ethan was giving him. "Can you just tell me if you're in it?"

Ethan rolled his eyes as he felt like he was going to regret telling Thomas, "Yes! And that's why you can't see it!"

Thomas' laughter became louder as he was enjoying everything about this even more. "I've seen you naked! We've done stuff in the bedroom together! Surely there isn't anything I haven't seen yet!"

Ethan knew that everything Thomas was saying was true. Thomas has seen more of him than any magazine reader would see, but Ethan couldn't allow Thomas to read the heavily emotionally driven interview that was unknowingly about him.

Soon enough, Ethan parked his car as he told Thomas, "We're at the airport now."

The playful, teasing, and happy mood in the car was soon dampened once they both processed what was happening next. The laughter in the car was quickly silenced as they both knew that they were going to be separated.

Ethan stayed silent as he got out of the car first. He opened up the trunk of his car to take out Thomas' suitcase, but Thomas' quickly closed the trunk first and then grabbed Ethan's hand.

"Come back in the car for a second." Thomas gently whispered.

Ethan nodded his head as he followed Thomas back inside the car. They were both alone as neither of them could see anybody else in the parking lot.

"I'm really going to miss you." Thomas admitted as he squeezed Ethan's hand.

Ethan nodded his head as he squeezed back. His heart was beating a million times a minute, as he looked away from Thomas when he admitted, "I'm going to miss you too."

Thomas used his other hand to force Ethan to look back at him. Gently brushing Ethan's cheek with his hand, Thomas held Ethan's face as he whispered gently. "This isn't a goodbye Ethan, we'll see each other again soon."

This unexpected romance with Thomas has been a rollercoaster ride of emotions for Ethan. There's only been high moments with Thomas because everything felt so fulfilling, so amazing, and so genuine. 

Ethan didn't want to let Thomas go, but Ethan knew that Thomas had his own life back home. Ethan forced a smile on his face as he tried to dismiss everything he's felt and experienced with Thomas. "It's been fun, Tommy!"

Thomas could see the pained look in Ethan's eyes, and Thomas desperately wanted it to disappear. "Ethan-"

"I can be happy with living the bachelor life again," Ethan laughed. He pulled himself away from Thomas as he ran his fingers through his own hair. "You can be happy with exploring the world, and not stuck being here with me."

Thomas was shaking his head as he reached to hold Ethan's hand once again. "You can keep telling yourself that to make you feel better, but I don't believe a single word you're saying."

Ethan was doing his best to push Thomas away, because it was easier than ending up in the car alone and feeling crushed. "I meant every wor-"

Thomas leaned forward and silenced Ethan's ridiculousness by tenderly kissing him. Ethan tried to push Thomas away because it was going to make things even harder, but Thomas trapped Ethan's head in place to deepen the kiss.

Ethan couldn't hold back as he wrapped his arms around Thomas. Ethan was desperately embracing the bodyguard as he was trying to show Thomas how much their time together really meant.

Thomas painfully pulled himself away from Ethan's lips, because he had to go home. With one more passionate kiss on the lips, Thomas affectionately kissed Ethan's temple as he then hugged the man goodbye.

Thomas rested his own head on Ethan's shoulder, as he pressed Ethan's head on his own shoulder. The needed embrace was silent as the both of them were remembering the special moments they had shared together.

"This isn't over Tommy." Ethan mumbled into Thomas' shoulder.

Thomas was drawing circles on Ethan's back as he whispered, "You can't get rid of me that easily."

Ethan forced himself to be strong as he looked at Thomas. Ethan's smile was genuine as he knew things weren't over with Thomas - he needed it to become true.

"I'll let you know when I make it back home." Thomas assured Ethan as he kissed the other man one last time.

Ethan nodded his head as he thought it would be best for himself to stay silent. He didn't need his voice to get shaky when he continued to think about how he wasn't going to see Thomas everyday anymore.

Ethan opened the car door so that he could try this once again. He opened up the trunk and handed Thomas his suitcase. After closing the trunk, Ethan began to lean against the car as he bid farewell to Thomas.

Ethan used Thomas' words as an anchor to keep himself composed. "I'll see you soon."

Thomas' smile was bright as he looked back at Ethan. Reaching for Ethan's hand one last time, Thomas teased, "Will you send me a copy of the bachelor magazine now?"

Ethan snorted as he got one last wholehearted laugh with Thomas. They were only briefly departing for now, and Ethan found solace that neither of them were willing to officially say goodbye.

Thomas kissed Ethan on the cheek as he reminded him, "See you soon."

Ethan watched Thomas drag himself to the airport. Seeing Thomas leave him again was hurting Ethan more than the last time, but Ethan continued to remind himself that he was going to see Thomas again - eventually.

Once Thomas disappeared behind the doors, Ethan got inside his car and sat in there for a little while.

Ethan began to reminisce over the last 2 weeks he spent with Thomas. Thomas' whole stay with him was so perfect, and Ethan knew that he could cherish everything he had with Thomas.

Ethan eventually began to drive away from the airport. He knew that he would be able to make more memories with Thomas soon - he just wasn't sure when.

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