Dancing With Danger ➵Tyrus (COMPLETE)

5

"Muffin! Let's do something tonight, just you and I," TJ starts, casually draping a sleeved arm over my shoulder as though nothing had happened in the gym this morning. I was honestly over the situation with Buffy; a real friend wouldn't manipulate me into choosing. "What did you have in mind?" I ask, not bothering to contain my excitement. "How about I take you for a spin on my motorcycle?" TJ asks. My eyes widen and I ask if that would even be legal, to which TJ shrugs and laughs. "Probably." I can't help but give into his warm gaze, those emerald eyes melting away all of my inhibitions. "Well...dancing with danger is on my bucket list," I explain, nodding my head 'yes' and grinning wildly. "It's a date," TJ confirms.

I'm slightly overdressed for my date with TJ, who's supposed to pick me up at midnight. It's only 9:30 pm right now. I'm wearing a green button-up and about a pound of antiperspirant. TJ and I agreed to meet down the block since my parents don't want us hanging out, so that's one less worry swimming through my head. I head downstairs to take an anti-anxiety pill, and see both of my parents sitting ominously in the dining room. My dad's head is in his hands, and I know what's coming. "Cyrus, baby," my mom begins, but I cut her off before the gut-wrenching words even leave her mouth. "I know, you two are divorcing," I say quietly, to which both my parents respond with a somber nod. They both try to explain the logistics of it all, but my mind is only half-listening. I don't really care at this point. The way I see it, I lost a manipulative and toxic "friend" and my parents are finally going to stop fighting. I'm over it; I just want to go out with TJ already. "Are you going out tonight?" my dad asks now. I confirm that I'm going out and will be seeing a late-night movie with my friends. Both of my parents seem to buy this, so I peacefully eat dinner and think about how tonight's going to go.

At 11:55 pm, I head out the door and amble down the sidewalk. TJ's waiting for me, already reaching out to hand me a passenger helmet. "Where do I put my hands?" I ask carefully, biting back the temptation to flirt. TJ, however, does not resist the bait. "How about...here," he replies, placing both of his hands on my waist to balance me as I get onto the motorcycle. I shiver at his touch, trying my best to look anywhere but into his eyes or at his lips. I playfully roll my eyes and loop my fingers through his belt loops, my head instinctively leaning into his back as we take off down the road. It feels electric, feeling the cool breeze on my arms and looking up to watch the stars scattered across the night sky as we ride. I don't even know where we're going until TJ stops somewhere about 40 minutes into the ride. Wherever we are, the view is breathtaking. "Where are we, Teej?" I ask softly. "We're kind of on the outskirts of town, looking out at downtown Shadyside. Look, there's the coffee shop!" TJ exclaims, pointing to a building in the distance. "Where are you, Cyrus?" TJ asks after taking his helmet off and helping me get mine off. Since when did he call me by my first name? "With you," I reply cautiously. TJ turns to look me in the eyes, and firecrackers are going off in my brain. I figure now is the best time to ask TJ whether or not he's into guys. I mean, before I fall any further for this boy, I want to know if it's all for naught.

Of course, I want to be as casual as possible. "So, TJ," I start, a hint of question in my voice. TJ's tone is soft and enrapturing. "Yes, Cyrus?" "What...what do you like in girls?" I ask, ready for TJ to start listing all of the possible qualities. Curly hair? Green eyes? Curvy physiques? Instead, he responds with a snort and then bursts into laughter.

"Um...their boyfriends," he finally manages to get out between laughter. "I'm very gay, Cyrus." This catches me way off guard; I can't help but smile. "So am I," I respond. "I was hoping you were," TJ replies, tracing his finger along my cheek. His breath is warm, and I can hear his heart beating to match the pace of mine. Slowly, I see his eyes close as he leans in and his hands travel to my waist. I find myself leaning in, too, until my phone goes off and the spell is broken. TJ's jolted out of the moment, and I reluctantly answer the phone while giving TJ a sorry look.

"Cyrus!"

"Hey, Marty. I can explain."