we're not kids anymore || boyxboy

Chapter 3

King 🇹🇹

Today 10:08 A.M.

> Nigga pick uuuuup

< bro it's 10 in the morning
< the fuck is wrong with you

> Whatever
> Just answer the damn ft call ugly

< watch how you speak to me braces having ass nigga

Chrisanto sucks his teeth when his phone starts ringing for the fourth time that morning. Kingston has been trying to Facetime him for the past five minutes, but he couldn't be too bothered to answer his phone. It got late last night and he only got home around 5 in the morning. His dad was leaving for work while he was sneaking in. Despite being twenty, going on twenty-one in a few months, his parents still have certain rules that he has to apply to when being home from college because it's only fair to Jaeda. A curfew is one of those rules, although his parents know he hasn't been sticking to that at all and neither has his little sister.

He slides his finger across the screen of his phone and waits for his call to connect with Kingston's. It's dark in his room and the only thing that's lightening up his face is the light coming from his phone. Kingston appears on his screen after a couple of seconds, making him smile without too much effort. He thinks he has a problem, but that's simply something Chrisanto doesn't want to think about or unpack.

''Who you calling brace face, huh?!'' Kingston screams through the device with the biggest brace-less smile on his face. His words cause Chrisanto to start laughing which leads to him smiling even bigger, showing off his pearly white, straight teeth. ''Exactly, that's what I thought! I got them out sooner!"

Seeing Kingston smile as big as he currently is has Chrisanto becoming all warm on the inside. So warm to the point that he finds his smile faltering because this isn't right. Him feeling all the things he feels every time Kingston smiles or laughs or simply looks at him isn't anywhere near being okay. It's wrong and confusing, because why would he feel these things for Kingston when he isn't gay or even close to being attracted to other guys. Sort of, at least.

That guy he messed around with back at college, Malik, is attractive and the sex wasn't anywhere near bad. In fact, it was the best sex he's had, but that was a long time ago. Malik was a long time ago. They had a disagreement because Malik started to catch feelings and wanted to be more than some guy Chrisanto occasionally had sex with, but Chrisanto couldn't be what Malik wanted him to be. He's not gay or into other guys. Chrisanto only likes girls, always has and always will.

''—I realized I can finally bite into an apple. So, I'm about to go buy one single apple and come over so you can witness me eating my very first apple in five years without cutting it in pieces.'' Kingston rambles. His smile drops when he notices the frown on Chrisanto's face and how quiet his best friend is. ''I'm sorry for waking you up. I know you're not a morning person and you were out late last night. I was just really excited to show you that I got my braces out.'' He apologizes.

''Hm,'' Chrisanto hums dryly, no longer smiling. ''Your teeth look good, bro. As they should after five years."

''Thank you, Chris..'' Kingston trails off. He hesitates a little before he decides to ask Chrisanto the question on his mind. ''Are you okay? Are things cool between us?'' It's something he has been wondering ever since the day he woke up to Chrisanto being gone. Things have been off between them since then and Kingston has been wondering why.

''Yeah, why?''

''You're so dry all of a sudden and things have been.. different between us."

''I don't know what you're talking about. Everything is cool on my side.'' Chrisanto answers, closing the FaceTime app to go through his phone. This has him pausing the video call — something he knows Kingston hates more than anything. ''You?''