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Salim put his empty cup on the coffee table in front of him and glanced over to his visitor. It was strange to have Jason around. And yet it simply felt right.
The marine had placed himself down on one of the cushions on the floor and was currently drinking the tea Salim had made for them. It was nice to see him so relaxed, for once. When they talked over the phone the American usually appeared to be more stressed out – mainly because of his job, Salim imagined, but there was more to it that he just couldn't pinpoint. For one, it had been a long time since Salim was subjected to his teasing remarks, their conversations often being friendly and warm but also strangely guarded. And, even now, with the almost cozy atmosphere, a fraction of the tension seemed to remain. Although, the Iraqi had to admit, he couldn't fault Jason for all of it.
Salim was shaken out of his thoughts when the phone rang.
Reluctantly he got up, apologizing to Jason as he walked past him to the wall-mounted phone in the corridor. Jason turned around and watched him.
"Othman?"
"[Hey, Dad!]", a quite spirited voice greeted him through the speaker, putting a happy smile on Salim's face.
"[Zain! It's good to hear you. How are you?]"
The calls from his son were quite common, but not nearly as frequent as Salim would have liked. He suspected it was the same for most parents, so Salim treasured their conversations whenever they occurred. He rarely called Zain himself. He had learned his lesson after Zain not talking to him for nearly a month when Salim overdid it.
"[What have you been up to lately?]"
Several minutes passed. Salim's voice and his occasional laughter rang through the house. Jason was watching the whole scene with satisfaction. It was good to see Salim like this. Not that he was all dull and gloomy all the time, but he had a kind of reserved aura about him, something that Jason couldn't remember being there when they had first met. It was nice seeing him truly carefree. Though Jason would have rested easier had he known what bothered the older man.
Jason got up from his cushion and walked over to Salim, cup still in hand, leaning his shoulder against the wall. "Is it Zain?"
Salim nodded, before switching his attention back to his son for the moment. He felt a little bad about leaving Jason to his own devices for so long. But at the same time he wanted to make the most out of this phone call with his boy.
"Tell him I said 'Hi.'", Jason added with a smile. They had met one time when he accompanied Salim on a short trip to London and Jason had gotten the impression, Zain liked him well enough. That he saved his father's life probably had something to do with it and yet Jason felt it was genuine. The American had taken a liking to the kid, too. He was as smart as his dad – maybe even more so – and apparently had also inherited the man's quick wit.
Salim's lips lifted up at Jason's request. He wrapped up the current topic, before he complied with Jason's wish.
"[I told you that Jason was visiting me, didn't I?]" Jason perked up at the mention of his name and kept watching Salim, taking another sip of his tea. "[He arrived two days ago and he sends his regards.]"
"[Oh, right. Well, thanks. Tell him I said 'hi', too.]"
"[I will.]" Salim was still smiling to himself.
"[By the way, Dad. How are things between the two of you?]"
The question momentarily caught him off-guard. He had told Zain about his feelings for the marine a while back. As hard as that decision had been, in the end, he deemed it only fair to be honest with his son. He wished he could be as honest with Jason, too, though. But that was even more difficult – if not impossible. In any case, Zain took his confession quite well. In fact, he didn't seem all that surprised. Salim had probably given himself away with how much he talked about Jason when he was on the phone with his son. And when him and the American visited Zain in London together, it must have been the last telltale sign his boy needed. Salim didn't dare to think how he might have looked at Jason when they finally met again in England after all these months. Or how he was most likely looking at him these days, with Jason staying at his house. It was a good thing the marine was so oblivious. Even now, with Jason standing just a few feet away, Salim was sure that no matter what kind of love-struck expression his own face would morph into, Jason would think none of it. Still, Salim averted his eyes after a moment, slightly turning, so he was staring at the wall rather than the younger man.
"[Well, things are good, considering. It's great to finally see him again. London has been a few months, already, after all.]" Salim's heart clenched a bit at the thought. He really didn't get to see Jason as much as he would have liked. So, with a sigh he admitted: "[I missed him.]" He didn't glance over at Jason. Even though he was speaking in his native tongue and Jason couldn't understand him, it felt a little strange to talk about someone who was there, in the same room.
"[So, you still haven't told him?]" It wasn't really an accusation, although Salim felt put on the spot. On the other hand, he was more than grateful that his son actually wanted him to find happiness – even if it was with a man, and an American.
Another sigh wrung itself out of Salim's lungs.
"[No. No, I haven't. And how could I? I'm a single father in my 40s, Jason's a young man. Do you really think he would want to be with someone like me?"]
A loud noise caused Salim to jerk his head around to where Jason was still standing.
"[What was that, Dad? Is everything alright?]"
Jason was looking at him as if in shock, face flushed and eyes wide.
"[It's nothing]", Salim said hastily. "[I just dropped a teacup. Zain? I'll call you back later, okay? Love you, bye.]" He didn't wait for a reply, even though he could hear Zain's confused questions on the other end, and hung up the phone. He also ignored the shattered cup and simply stared back at Jason for a few long seconds. It took him a moment to find his voice again.
"[Did you… did you understand all that?]", he asked in Arabic.
Jason's expression changed to a mixture of surprise, worry and guilt, the anxious feeling in his stomach making him bite his lip. He never told Salim that he had been taking Arabic lessons for over a year. Maybe his initial motive hadn't been the most profound, but that wasn't really news. He wanted to surprise Salim at some point during his current visit. Though this situation right now was definitely not how he had pictured it.
"[Yes. That is…]" Jason still struggled a lot more with actually speaking the language and rummaged around in his brain for the right words. "[I hope, I understood it correctly]", he managed, his cheeks burning.
Now it was Salim's turn to blush and be surprised. So, Jason had actually studied Arabic.
For my sake? Salim couldn't help but have the thought pop up in his head, however silly it made him feel for assuming. But then he realized something else. Something that almost escaped his notice due to his inner turmoil. Had Jason truly implied what Salim believed he had?
"Hold on. You hope?", he asked, in English this time, so there could be no mistake.
A small grin stole onto Jason's face.
"Yeah. I thought you'd have figured it out by now, but … well, I like you, too." Saying it out loud made him feel embarrassed, after all. And Salim was still just looking at him, stunned. Jason could almost hear the man's brain ticking away. And his own heart sank at the lack of a response. Maybe he had drawn a hasty conclusion. He halted at that, the corners of his mouth dropping.
"Shit. I mean … what you were saying to Zain … it was about … that … right?" He cursed himself inwardly for sounding so anxious. But with the high probability of having confessed his one-sided feelings, his usual cocksure attitude naturally faltered.
At last, Salim stirred. He continued to look at him a bit dumbfounded. But his eyes seemed to come alive with a joyful glint, and a tentative smile appeared on his face as he nodded.
Jason couldn't help but carefully return that smile. He was still guarded, though, not yet fully convinced.
But then Salim seemed to regain his confidence as he was now taking a step towards him, ignoring the crunch of the broken teacup underneath his feet. With their bodies suddenly only a hand's breadth apart, a short gasp for air was all Jason could manage.
"Well … I could translate it more clearly." Salim wasn't nearly as sure as he appeared to be and he thought his voice must have carried his nervousness. Jason didn't fair much better, though. If anything he seemed flustered and confused by the offer.
"Huh?", was indeed the first response that came to the American's mind. And the meaning of Salim's words only cleared up for him when the older man leaned in closer.
Oh, Jason thought, and felt his heartbeat accelerate in anticipation.
The moment their lips met, both their eyes fluttered shut. All their focus was now shifting to the parts where their bodies touched, warmth spreading through their veins.
Jason blindly felt for Salim's face with both hands, fingers brushing along the man's jaw and underneath his ears, holding him close as Jason returned the kiss eagerly.
They stayed like that for a few more seconds, before they broke apart, eyes locked, the whole moment so intimate as if they were the only two people on the planet.
Jason drew back a little more, the smile that spread on his lips now stripped of any lingering doubt as it reached his eyes.
"I understood that perfectly."
Relief finally washed away Salim's own remaining uncertainty as he returned the smile, making Jason's heart do a somersault. He wanted nothing more than to always see Salim as happy as this. And naturally he slipped back into his usual more easy-going mode, as well, adding: "Though I think a few more repetitions wouldn't hurt. Don't you?"
Jason's cheeky grin made Salim's own smile broaden. He had missed this side of the American. And if all it took to draw it out were the older man's affections, Salim was more than willing to indulge him.
"We can practice as much as you want."