swingsets and dance routines ; tyrus

chapter #1: the book club meeting

"Okay - lets both go to our left."

Cyrus nodded and did as he was told, stepping past with a faint smile.

"We did it!" he cheered playfully, turning back around to face him.

"We did!" the other boy confirmed, still smiling.

They lingered there for a moment, both clearly wanting to say something more but not knowing exactly what. Cyrus considered small talk for a moment, but quickly decided that the ensuing awkwardness would not be worth it in the slightest.

"I uh - really should get going."

He made no effort to move after this announcement, and the boy seemed to notice because he was smiling again now, leaning up against the wall behind him.

"Do I know you?" he asked.

Cyrus was slightly taken aback by the question, but a knowing smile formed on his lips nonetheless.

"No. You don't. At least - I don't know you."

"Huh," he replied, nodding slowly. "That's a shame."

"Is it?" Cyrus challenged, lifting an eyebrow in question.

The bustling sounds from outside only seemed to grow louder as nine o'clock drew nearer, and Cyrus knew for a fact that he was missing at least half of his book club meeting by now.

He couldn't find it within himself to care about either of those things at that moment.

The boy's smile widened. "I'm TJ."

Cyrus nodded. "Yup - I definitely don't know any TJ's."

"Well...you could know one if you wanted to."

Cyrus' eyes widened slightly at that, and he glanced nervously around the café for a moment. He couldn't help but think that TJ was being flirty at that moment, and the last thing he needed was to be outed somehow. When he was certain there was no one there from his school, he returned his gaze to TJ with a small smile.

"I'm Cyrus," he returned, "and I guess I wouldn't mind getting to know a TJ...if it's just as friends of course."

"Pfft, totally," TJ responded, pushing himself up from his position against the wall, "that's what I meant too."

Cyrus gave him a knowing smile as he fished around in his bag for a pen and a sticky note, letting out a triumphant 'aha!' when he felt them and pulled them out.

He took a few moments to write his number down, before tearing off the note and sticking it to the laptop he hadn't even registered TJ was holding.

"I'll see you around, TJ," he said, before turning around and pushing the door. It wouldn't budge, and it took him an embarassing few seconds to remember that it was a pull door. He let out a small, mortified groan as he stepped back and pulled it open.

"I meant to do that," he insisted, throwing a glance over his shoulder at TJ.

He was stood there with his laptop, a fond smile on his face as he observed the boy. "Sure. We'll stick with that," he teased, and that was the last thing Cyrus heard before the door gently closed behind him.

He had missed a majority of his book club meeting by now so it really wouldn't be worth going, but at least he could say he had gotten coffee. And that he had met a cute boy with pretty green eyes and a heart-melting laugh and - yeah okay, he'd stop there.

~

Friday, 12:37pm:

TJ: Heyy