He's Got a Love Like Woe - [Slash]

Chapter One - Hunky McHunkster

       But wait. When he got out of bed he still had his jeans on. And if he has his jeans on, then--

     "You can stop looking so freaked out now. We didn't do much of anything. You fell asleep about halfway through." He sounds bored now.

       The relief floods through my toes. I literally sag. "Oh."

       But still. I was naked. That means I had to have done something, right?

       I strain to remember and can't. A thought slaps me in the face. Was I--

     "You weren't drugged." The guy snorts. "As if."

     "Do you mind not doing that?" I snap, freaked out because dude. You don't just answer questions like that unless--

     "I'm not a mind reader. You're just painfully predictable." He pulls a stick of gum out of his pocket and unwraps it, then pops it into his mouth. The smell of mint hits me. It seems like a pretty good idea to me (my mouth tastes like something crawled in it and died, and I'm pretty sure it smells the same way), so I ask, somewhat awkwardly, "Can I have a stick?"

       He looks at me, piercing eyes meeting mine. I feel myself shudder for no reason.

     "No."

       And then he walks out of the room, leaving me completely speechless.

       I stand there for a few minutes, completely in shock, until he walks back in, looking irritated. He glares at me. "Well?"

     "Well what?"

     "Are you coming or not?"

       That's it. I officially don't know how to feel anymore.

       My feet seem to move on their own as he walks down the stairs, me following.

       It's still pretty early. There are red plastic cups everywhere, two girls and a guy sprawled on the couch. I suddenly remember who hosted the party in the first place. A friend of Caleb's older brother, Kyle. They were seniors. It was an end-of-the summer party.

       Theo, I suddenly remember. His name is Theo.  

       We walk out into the cool August air. Fog clings to my skin, and the sky is a weird purple-red color. The front yard is trashed. Theo heads for a dark blue Corvette, parked on the curb, and pulls a set of keys out of his pocket. He unlocks the doors with his keychain and walks around to the driver's side.

       I open the door, unsure, and slide in, shutting the door behind me. Theo's already in the car, cranking it up and fiddling with the radio.

     "Where do you live?" he asks gruffly.

       I bristle up at that. Did I really want to tell him my address?

     "You can walk if you want," he says.

       I spit out the address. He finally settles on a radio station and wordlessly pulls away from the house.

     "Listen..." I start awkwardly after a few minutes. Because this has to be done, no matter how painful it'll be. "About last night..."

     "What about it?"

     "It didn't mean anything you know," I say. "I was drunk, you were drunk--can we just forget about this?" I stammer. I really have no idea what I'm doing.

       He's silent.

     "I mean, I'm straight," I continue. "Like, really straight. I don't mean any offense if you swing that way--"

     "We're here." He pulls up on the curb next to my house and looks at me calmly.

     "Oh. Well. Thanks for the ride. But we can just forget this happened, right?"

       Theo gets out of the car and shuts the door, still silent. I sit there in confusion for a moment before I scramble out as well, running to catch up with him.

     "Hey, wait!" I huff as I catch up wtih him. He walks pretty fast. He was about halfway up the driveway when I finally got to him.

     "Why aren't you talking?" I demand. Still, he says nothing.

       It's getting pretty old fast, so I'm scowling by the time we get to my porch steps. I face him, my eyebrows furrowed.

     "HEY, Theo--"

       He cuts me off by grabbing me by the chin and placing his lips onto mine.

       For a moment, everything goes completely silent. The sound of distant traffic, early morning birds singing--everything fades away. His lips are soft and firm on mine, moving slowly though I'm stiller than a corpse. An unknown feeling rises in my gut, wrapping around my heart and squeezing,

       My eyes flutter shut for a moment, and then--

       PUCK! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!? YOU'RE KISSING A GUY, THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE DOING!!!

       My mind screams at me furiously.

       I wrench myself away, wiping my lips on the back of my hand.

       Theo smirks. "Straight, huh? I can work with that."

       And then he turns on his heel, walks down  to his car, and drives away.

       I numbly take my house key from around my neck and let myself in. My hands are shaking and I'm trying to move fast, in case Theo decides to come back and do the deed on our stoop. Which I would not enjoy.

       I nearly run into my mother in my haste to get in. She's standing in the foyer, a blank expression on her face.

       Oh dear God. Please tell me that she didn't just see that.

       One long look at me confirms it.

       For a moment, we just stand there, staring at each other. Then she clears her throat, adjusting her glasses.

     "Well, Puck," she says, her voice light. "I can't say that I didn't see this coming. I mean, John and I have suspected it for a while, but I never actually knew until now."

       I'm too horrified for words. "You guys suspected?"

     "Well, yes, dear." She pats my head, a habit that I've gotten used to. The shock keeps me from making a comment about it. "I mean," she continues, "you haven't exactly dated girls in a while, now have you? And you and Caleb are awfully close--"

     "Mom," I said, mortified. "I'm not gay."

       Her bright green eyes search my face for a moment, then she says, "Oh."

     "Yeah."

     "You're bisexual, then." She nods, her blonde ponytail bouncing. "Right. That makes a lot more sense." She cranes her neck to look out of the door window again. "So. Who's the hunky Mc-hunkster, hon?"

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