Price Family Book Store (ON HOLD)

Chapter 18 - Movie Moment

Minimal conversation occurred between the boys and the young woman since the Tuesday, that already felt as though it was long gone by Wednesday. In fact, the only form of communication they had was a simple expression; a smile as Christine Scott passed Connor in the hall a few days later. It had been him who had offered the slight upturn of his lips upon seeing the redhead girl, her response was to mirror his pleasant expression and continue on her way. Although this was the only friendly exchange that they had, the girl, who was becoming much better at appearing in classes (even though she was late to most of them anyway), was happy just to see Connor. From her place at the desk behind them in their English class, she caught glimpses of Connor and Jonah's intertwined fingers under the desk, which did sometimes bring with it a pang of jealousy, but these moments lasted very little time and she could finally manage to focus on different things. However, regardless of how she may have felt at the time, she could never stay angry at the men who seemed not to be angry with her in return.
Although, Jonah wasn't as forgiving as she had assumed. Despite Connor's willingness to accept her feelings and what had happened between them, his lover was less than impressed at what he had heard. He didn't hold a grudge for too long, but while the news was fresh, he was openly livid at her; he found it a petty fight for her to have started for a selfish reason and questioned how she could have anticipated it going any other way. Connor had calmed him down, sitting him on one of the desks as they joined his father in the now empty classroom, standing between his knees with his arms around his neck. But now, once the taller boy was settled and admitted to being somewhat jealous of somebody else also liking his partner, they each took a breath, however, were suddenly reminded of the third person in the room by the clearing of his throat. Now seemed like a suitable time to tell Simon of their relationship. After a few false starts, Connor seeing a somewhat smug look on Jonah's face when he spoke about the day he told his parents of his dilemma regarding the boy, the longer-haired young man finally came clean about them, though made it clear that, as the relationship was still new and developing, he didn't want it to be a 'big deal.' A few seconds of silence passed between them before a small smile appeared on his face, the English teacher simply stating that he was glad that things worked out in getting their relationship started. He admitted to finding the information a light on his day, telling them that they already make a very cute couple anyway.
The week progressed and eventually, it was Saturday. A freezing cold breeze swept across the high street, whipping at Jonah as he walked down the street, his hands in his pockets to keep them warm. Moving down the street, the snow and ice now melted, a smile came to his face as he spotted the bookstore, a smile which grew wider as his gaze fell upon the opening door, the familiar figure of his schoolmate stepping out into the cold.
Jonah took a moment to admire him from afar, his gaze travelling from his face to his hair, messily tied back, some hair falling loosely down to his shoulders already. He was wrapped up warmly in his thick, blue sweater, pulling his sleeves over his hands to warm himself. He was once again wearing a pair of black skinny jeans, his slim figure obvious with one look at his legs, but hidden almost completely by his jumper. To Jonah, Connor was always quite 'aesthetically pleasing.' He saw something cute in his face, something light in his eyes and something so modest about his mannerisms. Just as the taller boy was thinking of this, he saw his partner's head turning, a smile coming to his face as the two made eye contact.

"Hey," Connor called, taking a few quickened steps in his direction, both lightly jogging to one another to meet in the middle, "I really hope there's working radiators in your house. The store's heaters are broken."

"Geez, when did your shift start? How long have you been turning into an icicle?" the taller boy joked, gently taking Connor into his arms, feeling that he was quite cold.
Connor accepted his embrace and hugged him back, his hands clutching the fabric of the thick coat on his back, nuzzling into Jonah's chest as the smile on his lips grew wider in his company.
"Since eight o'clock," he told him, taking a deep breath and relaxing, "but you're warm, so I'm fine."