The water of the reservoir was cool where it pooled around Harley's calves, the gentle sloshing of water as he waded only slightly louder than the low hum of bugs in the brush. He looked up as a loud splash of water ripped through the serene environment, only catching a glimpse of Jonas' body before it crashed into the water, going under as some bubbles rose from where he had dove in. The hot, bright sun was beating down on the city of Chicago, and Harley rested a hand on his brow to cover his eyes, watching as Jonas burst out of the water with a laugh, shaking his head like a wet dog as his curly hair flung droplets everywhere.
"The water's fine, Harley! You not gonna get in?" He called, trudging through the water towards him from further out, where it was chest high.
Harley chewed on his lip, debating on how he was going to shake this one off. Nothing sounded better than a cool, refreshing dip in the reservoir, and Harley was dying to shuck off his t-shirt and go diving in only wearing his shorts. There was just. . . one problem. . .
"Ah, I don't know. I quite like it over here, actually. I can look for cool rocks," he responded sheepishly, bending down to grab a smooth, colorful stone to further emphasize his point.
"Since when did you not like swimming in the reservoir? This is, like, the cleanest swimming water you're gonna find in the city."
Harley should've known Jonas wasn't going to go down without a fight, that he would push and prod until the answer finally bled from Harley. That was one of things about Jonas that Harley wasn't too fond of.
He sighed as Jonas came to stand in front of him, water still dripping from his hair and chin, running down his toned chest and into the water. There was once a time Harley would have been salivating over the sight, but now he felt his cheeks go rosy thinking about the three spots that adorned his upper chest, artistically placed by Lucas himself.
"Fine. I'll go swimming then," He lamented, grabbing the back of his t-shirt and pulling it over his head. Jonas' deep brown eyes immediately narrowed in on the purple bruises on Harley's chest, before flicking his stare to his friend's blushing face and back to his chest again.
"Are those- holy fuck," he breathed, inching closer to get a better look. "Are those hickies?"
"They are."
Jonas shook his head, as though he thought he was imagining things, before looking back at Harley in shock. "Who? Who! Oh my God- who!"
"It was, uh. . ." Harley averted his eyes sheepishly, looking down as he moved his foot slowly across the sand. "You know that guy I said I thought hated me? Well. . ."
"You're kidding. You're brother's friend? That guy?"
"Guess he doesn't hate me anymore," Harley grinned devilishly.
"That's fucking wild," Jonas exclaimed, the water crashing around his legs as he jumped up suddenly, holding his head in disbelief. "Did- wait. . . did you guys have sex?" He whispered, leaning in with wide eyes as though it was a nuclear launch code he was uttering.
"No!" Harley yelled, backing up slightly. "No, no. Absolutely not. We just made out in my room for a bit."
"You want to though, right?"
Harley choked. "I- I mean, I guess? Eventually? Not right now, obviously. I still don't really know the guy. Are we done?" He snapped, suddenly feeling very flustered. Jonas looked at him as though he had grown two heads.
"No, we're not done! Are you two dating now?"
"It's- it's complicated," Harley huffed, shoulders deflating. "I don't know if we're exclusive, and we certainly didn't talk about labels, but he did say that this thing between us could continue if I wanted it to. And, fuck- of course I want it to. He's so hot, and not only that he. . . I don't know, just seems to have something so much deeper to him."
"You sound like those I can fix him types," Jonas chided, to which Harley smacked him on the arm.
"It's not about fixing him, I don't think there's anything that needs to be fixed. It's more about. . . understanding him," Harley explained, staring off across the water wistfully. There was nothing he wanted to change about Lucas, but he craved knowing him and being a part of his life.
"As long as he makes you happy and doesn't hurt you, I support it," Jonas nodded, a wide grin splitting across his face.
"Thank you, Jonas," Harley smiled back, leaning down to flick some water playfully at his friend, throwing his shirt onto the shore as the two delved into a playful brawl in the water, splashing and shoving each other around.
By the time the sun started to dip below the horizon, Harley trudged his way through the water and back onto the bank, grabbing the folded up beach towel on the ground to vigorously scrub over his hair. Water sloshed loudly as Jonas came up behind him, picking up his own towel as Harley pulled his t-shirt over his head.
"So what about Axel?" Jonas piped up from behind, and Harley glanced at him over his shoulder.
"What about him?"
"Are you gonna tell him? About you and Lucas?"
"I don't think so. At least, not right now," Harley sighed, squinting against the sun. "He probably wouldn't take it too well, and who knows where this will end up- if it will even last."
"I guess that's true," Jonas' keys jingled as he scooped them up from the dirt, twirling them around his pointer finger as he took a few steps closer to the path leading towards the road. "Ready?"
Harley nodded, letting out a small noise of affirmation as he followed after Jonas, the two snaking their way through the overgrown brush and through the small gap in the chain link fence. Jonas' car was parked tightly against the curb as it usually was when they visited the reservoir, looking slightly out of place on the empty road with no other car in sight. The quietness was a bit eerie to Harley, but he relaxed again once they were settled back into the car and pulling away.
"How's Izzy? I feel like I haven't seen her in so long," Harley questioned, breaking the comfortable silence that had settled between them. Isabelle was Jonas' little sister, and only a few years younger than Harley, but they became quite close over the years Jonas and him were friends. It wasn't exactly the friendship Harley would consider hanging out with her without Jonas, and that thought was only weirder now that Harley was a legal adult, but Isabelle would tag along with them on many of their excursions. She had accompanied them to the movies, the mall, even the reservoir on a few occasions. Isabelle was all around a very pleasant and funny person, and he missed the days where they would team up to give Jonas shit.
"She's good," Jonas smiled, eyes flicking over to Harley before settling back on the road. "I've been helping her research colleges. Can't believe she's already at that age," Jonas breathed, shaking his head.
"Well, we should make plans to get together this summer before she gets so wrapped up in that. Just like we used to," Harley suggested hopefully. He thought the idea was innocent enough, but Jonas' expression grew conflicted as he chewed on his lip. With a raised eyebrow, Harley regarded his friend's defensive body language, and immediately knew something was up.
"Why do you look like you're about to shit yourself?"
Jonas glanced at him nervously. "I-" he began, only to let out a heavy breath in exasperation, shoulders deflating in defeat. "I really didn't want to tell you this."
"Well now you definitely have to. . ." Harley trailed off, his anxiousness only growing with Jonas' strange mood shift.
"Look, Harley, my parents- you know how they are. They're insufferable, really, and overbearing is putting it lightly. Last week . . they said they didn't want me to see you anymore," his best friend ended sadly. Harley was frozen in shock, his mouth hung open in disbelief as he tried to comprehend what he had just heard.
"Your parents- what?" He shook his head quickly, still thinking he had imagined the entire thing
"I lied so I could see you today. So. . . you won't be able to see Isabelle. They have her on an even tighter leash than me. I'm sorry, Harley."
Harley sat back into his seat, staring out onto the road in front of them. It was official. He was now being perceived as a true Southsider. Like a glob of spit on the sidewalk, or a dirty rat rummaging through garbage just to find its next meal.
His silence only seemed to make Jonas panic, immediately going into damage control. "I don't want you to think this changes anything about our friendship. It doesn't. My parents are just ignorant and want to be controlling, well it's not going to happen. I am not going to stop hanging out with you, okay?" Jonas looked at him with pleading eyes, and Harley let out a shaky breath. He supposed that as long as Jonas was still there, he would be okay; but how long would this even be sustainable? Jonas was an adult, but because he still lived with his parents, they continued to rule over him with an iron fist.
They were at their mercy.
The car ride back to Southside was filled with a choking silence, and as they pulled up to the curb and parked, Harley made sure to get his wits about him so he could reassure his friend.
"I'm not mad at you, Jonas. I know I was quiet in the car," he began softly, unbuckling his seatbelt and turning towards the other man's somber expression. "I just. . . feel shitty that your parents so quickly made me out to be a bad guy despite having grown up with you."
"I understand. I really do. You have no idea how much I yelled at them, but they simply didn't care," Jonas leaned his head back against the seat, closing his eyes. "They keep getting fed propaganda from that guy, Dawson- and it's rotting their brains. I don't know what to do. I try to talk to them, to rationalize with them, but they don't listen. It's like talking to a brick wall."
"You feel like you're losing them?" Harley asked timidly, afraid the question may bring up feelings Jonas was trying so desperately to keep stamped down.
Jonas pursed his lips, bringing his hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "I do. My mom has always been a little eccentric, you know that better than anyone, but she was kind. She still had a good heart. I'm not so sure about that anymore. Now she's just filled with anger and fear, and it's caused her to become even more controlling over us."
"As long as we have each other, right?" Harley squeezed his friend's shoulder reassuringly, and Jonas gave him a tight smile.
"Yeah. You and Michelle are the best things in my life. I'm happy as long as you both are in it."
"Agreed. I'll always need my best friend," Harley beamed, climbing out of the car and into the darkness. The sun was quick to set over their journey back.
He leaned over to peer into the car, one hand gripping the passenger door. "See you later, Jonas. Stay safe."
"Take care, Harley," Jonas waved back, and Harley shut the door, turning to walk up the concrete path to the house as his friend pulled away. His mind was racing, and Harley knew he was going to be a mess for a while after Jonas dropped a bombshell like that. He fumbled with the house key Axel had recently copied for him, struggling to get the lock on the front door turned the correct way to unlatch. The metal was old and slightly rusted, so it took a good shove to finally get it popped open. Harley merely shook his head, slipping inside before closing the door behind him and locking the deadbolt.
The dark truck that had been following the two men finally crept out from its hiding place down the road, emerging from the shadows like a large, ominous beast from where it was watching on carefully. The headlights flicked on as it rounded the corner, slowly creeping past the little yellow house.
~
We're already halfway through the book- can you believe it? I feel like we just started!
I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, feel free to leave your thoughts and leave a vote if you enjoyed. Thank you! :)