Cole Walker's POV
I buckled my seatbelt, staring at X, Declan, Noah and Wilder, who were still standing by the gates. Chloe had already helped me into the car and taken my chair to the back, and yet those four kept staring at each other. Maybe I was a bad friend, but my mind couldn't have been further away from their argument. Despite all my efforts, I couldn't get Brandon's words out of my head.
"How long has this been going on.. you two crushing on each other?"
I had a zillion questions buzzing in my head: Was it really that obvious? More importantly, was I being that obvious? And if I were, was it obvious for X as well? Was X actually crushing on me or was Brandon delusional?
"Talk to me." Chloe ordered, not even bothering to complain about the lack of a hello from my part. I wrenched my eyes off X and blinked at Chloe. When I still didn't say anything, Chloe ventured: "He's handsome, isn't he?"
"I mean.. yes." I admitted, then stumbled to explain: "But that's not why I was staring at him, I was just.. trying to find out if Declan will rip off Wilder's throat."
"Cole, I know." Chloe emphasized, starting the car. I nodded, relieved, until Chloe elaborated what exactly she knew: "I know you like X."
"What?" I choked, gaping at her, but she didn't take her eyes off the road.
I really was that obvious then. Great.
"Mom, dad and Cody know too." Chloe went on, a toothy grin spreading on her lips. Her words made my heart leap out of my chest, and not in a good way. "You told us. Don't you remember?"
"You're kidding." I breathed, waiting for the punchline of Chloe's joke. She had to be joking, right? Instead of laughing, Chloe found a bank by the road and parked the car, turning her full focus on me. The look in her eyes was fond, yet serious.
"You were pretty out of it." Chloe pointed out, more to herself. When I kept staring at her blankly, she continued: "In the recovery room after your surgery. First you blabbered about Queen Elizabeth II and then moved to the 'enchanting green eyes' of X and how much you wanted to win some bet, but couldn't wait to 'kiss him breathless' or something like that."
"I did what?" I asked, by then completely freaking out. My head was spinning and I was still waiting for Chloe to tell me it was all just a cruel joke. "I think I'm going to be sick."
They all knew?
"How did mom and dad react to that?" I whispered, my voice small.
"Well, it isn't like you're their first gay son." Chloe chuckled and her words eased the knots in stomach. She was quiet for a while, before asking, her tone all so soft and sweet: "So, have you told him yet?"
"It's complicated." I shrugged.
"Try me." Chloe challenged, looking smug and certain that nothing I would say was going to be too complicated for her genius brain. I gave in and finally told her all about the bet and the argument of Declan and Wilder that had kept us apart.
When I was done, Chloe gaped at me like she had only just realized that I was from an entirely different planet. Then she started to laugh and shake her head in disbelief, which I found more than a little tactless.
"I completely forgot how complicated everything always is with you." She snorted, still shaking her head. "And I have absolutely no clue why you would make such a bet, let alone drag it out this long when you two are clearly pining over each other."
"We're not pining over each other." I objected, glaring at her.
"So", Chloe emphasized, paying no attention to my words, "is it really so important to win some meaningless bet that you're willing to risk losing your chance with X over it?"
I only gave Chloe a noncommittal hum, before plugging in my earbuds to tell her the conversation was over. It was all I could think about for the rest of the day, though. It was all I could think about when I tossed around in my bed all night, eventually getting so frustrated that I got up somewhere around five in the morning.
I no longer needed help to get up from the bed, as I had learned this rather ungracious yet effective way of dangling and wiggling off the bed and inching myself to the chair. It was something I would in no circumstances do in front of anyone else, but I was alone and I wanted to take a shower. Not that I could yet do that without risk on my own, so I had to be content with just rinsing my face and brushing my teeth.
At home I was in this habit of wearing baggy sweatpants and stuff I could pull on without help. Consequently I didn't exactly look presentable, especially with the bags under my eyes from the poorly slept night, but hey, it wasn't like X hadn't already seen me in that horrendous hospital gown. You couldn't get much lower than that, believe me.
We had a nice little family breakfast with mom, dad and Chloe, before they all went their different ways. Okay, well, mom and dad left together for some fancy dinner thing for their mutual friend's birthday. Since when did my parents have friends? I have no idea, but I didn't mind having them gone for a day. Chloe was going to see her friends and have a rare day off from all the studying.
Remembering the conversation I had had with Chloe, I could barely look any of them in the eye while we had breakfast, so I excused myself to my room as soon as I had wolfed down my stack of pancakes. With my stomach comfortably full, the sleepless night was finally starting to take its toll. I yawned, slumped onto my bed face first, not even bothering to turn around, and shut my eyes.
I was supposed to only rest them for a second or two, but somehow I awoke to a rustle next to me. When I blinked my eyes open, I saw a pair of green ones staring at me. I blinked again, trying to adjust to my surroundings.
"Are you staring at me while I'm sleeping?" I questioned, trying to will the drowsiness off my voice. I wondered how long I had slept and who had let him in. "That's creepy."
"Why are you sleeping?" X shrugged off my question, while still having that same curious look in his eyes. I rolled onto my side, facing him.
"It's this thing that sometimes happens when you close your eyes." I remarked matter-of-factly, earning a smile from X. Only then I remembered what I was supposed to say to him and my heart leaped nervously. "We need to talk."
"You first." X breathed.
"No, you first." I told him, holding onto my last chance of winning the bet.
"At the same time?" X suggested, likely sharing my thoughts.
My heart started a drum solo, so fast it made my head spin. I felt the lurch of my stomach like the bed had been swept under us and I had been sent flying to the floor. Why am I freaking out, this is noth— oh my God, I'm going to be sick.. I can't do this, I can't..
But then X opened his mouth, saying: "On three? One, two, three.."
"I like you." I blurted out at the same time as X said: "We need to talk about Declan and Wilder."
A dead silence filled the room. My eyes must have been at least as wide as his were, and neither of us was breathing. My heart was hammering so loud my ears hummed, and I thought: fuck, fuck, FUCK. I messed up. I read the signs wrong.. I lost. He doesn't fucking like me back and.. oh fucking fuck.
"What did you say?" X's voice came out as a mere whisper, filled with both caution and hope. I was about to decline everything, but that hint of hope made me change my mind. I took a deep breath, placed my hand on the nape of his neck and fixed an intense gaze on him.
"Do you want me to spell it out for you?" I asked, now basically glaring at him. "I. Have. Feelings. For. You. I lose, you win, okay?"
X drew in a sharp breath, then visibly relaxed and let it out as a long huff. A smile tucked up the corners of his mouth, pulling them upwards to a wide, smug grin. I gripped his neck tighter, wanting nothing more than to smack that self-righteous expression off his face.
"You like me?" He breathed, still grinning. He hadn't moved an inch, his body glued to the exact same position he had had when I started talking. "Since when?"
"I don't know.. I think I realized it during those days I spent at home after the hospital. Or, maybe sooner, because.." I trailed off, feeling my cheeks heat up as I yet again remembered mine and Chloe's conversation the day before. Then I inhaled, steeling myself for whatever was going to follow, and asked: "So, what do you want for a reward?"
X studied my face in silence, before bringing his forefinger to my neck and drawing a line with it from the side of my throat to the middle of my chest. He held it there for a beat, then he slipped his hand between my neck and a pillow, burying his fingers into my hair. A slow smile spread on his lips as he leaned closer, so close in fact that I could feel his breath against my lips. It was my time to freeze and wait.
"A kiss. I want you to kiss me." X breathed, the words coming out hoarsely. His fingers tucked at my hair, as if to test where I drew the line.
"I.. You want me to kiss you?" I stammered, my gaze automatically darting to his lips. Then I warned him: "Okay.. Tell me to stop right now or I'm going to do it."
As X made no effort to back up from his wish, I pulled him closer with my hand on the back of his neck. The tips of noses were the first to touch, and then my lips brushed against his.
****
Question of the day:
Do you like rom coms?
(Me: I just wrote in my other story about a character, who secretly adores rom coms, and I realized I basically only know like three of those. I mostly watch horror and Marvel, and I'm not a huge fan of rom coms. I really liked Yesterday and Meet Cute though.)