After all the weeks of everyone hanging out together in North Hallson as a group, Ryan decided it was a good time to steal Evan for himself. And not just as a friend.
"If you'd told me where he's taking me, I'd know what to wear." Evan sat on his bed, looking reproachfully at his best friend.
"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise. And I'm not going to ruin your first date."
Their first date. Evan had no idea how they had progressed so quickly from friendship to first date, but he didn't protest. When Ryan had suggested it, it sounded like the right choice, so he didn't hide his excitement when he agreed. Even so, they'd been acting more like a couple than friends for weeks now, so Evan saw no reason to say no.
"You could at least give me some advice," he protested.
"I gave you advice." She did. She told him to look, in her words, good for lovemaking.
"To look like a whore," he finished her sentence.
"I didn't say that." She frowned and moved to stand directly in front of him. With her hands at her sides, she looked like an angry mom. And since Evan angered her on a daily basis, he didn't care.
"Should I surprise him?"
"With what?" There was no doubt in Evan's mind that his and Angie's styles of surprise were diametrically opposed. Several scenarios of kinky surprises that shouldn't have been in Angie's head in the first place were probably playing out in her head right now.
"By not wearing black," he clarified before the conversation could escalate.
"Show me the outfit, and I'll tell you."
Evan decided to step out of his comfort zone and delve into the depths of his closet, where there were items that didn't fit his typical look. The first thing he found was a burgundy crewneck sweatshirt with a sports logo on the top left side. It looked like a regular sweatshirt made of a thicker material, the only things that didn't look like something Evan would wear were the colour and the fact that it was hoodless.
He showed his selection to Angie, and though she didn't even see it on him, she immediately started nodding in agreement.
"All you need are some light-coloured jeans." The light colour and Evan didn't go together, so the best he had were mid-blue jeans, which Angie approved of anyway.
With those two things in hand, Evan decided to change, and since Angie was almost like his sister, he didn't mind doing it right in front of her.
"Now the accessories." Angie clapped when she saw him fully dressed and immediately rushed to the secret drawer in his desk where he kept his jewellery.
"Do I really need them?" His outfit was casual, just in a different way than he normally dressed, so he wasn't sure if he should overdo it with accessories. Angie obviously thought otherwise since she had an armful of things she wanted him to try on.
The first were silver rings, which he was already used to, so he didn't protest when she ordered him to put them on. He put two on each hand and waited to see what she would hand him next.
"I think a necklace would be too much already," Angie assessed, looking at him as if he were her masterpiece. Evan nodded, agreeing with her point, though he knew she'd still have her way if he'd said otherwise.
"Well, I think we both know what's missing," Angie assessed, turning around and putting the rest of the stuff she had in her hands in the drawer. Evan followed her with his eyes, but then his gaze fell on the nightstand next to his bed, where he'd made a habit of putting Ryan's gift away.
"You're right," he muttered automatically and went to put on his bracelet. Putting it on his arm was already as natural to him as breathing. And even though he had it covered by his hoodie most of the time, knowing he had it on still brought him a strange peace of mind. It was as if Ryan had put a tiny piece of his soul into this metal and was thus constantly close to Evan. It was a stupid idea, but Evan had learned long ago not to look for logic when it came to mates.
"Do you think he'll like it?" He asked when he saw himself in his complete outfit in the mirror. He didn't want to act like someone he was not, but at the same time, he wanted to look good. After all, it was their first date, and he'd kept Ryan waiting for him for a very long time.
"He always likes you," Angie assured him, moving behind him.
Evan didn't doubt the truth of her words, though he sometimes couldn't believe them himself. His journey to reach Ryan had been filled with obstacles of his own making, but even so, a dazzling prince awaited him at the end of it.
Wherever he looked, wherever he was on his life's journey, Ryan was always there for him and supported him. Maybe that's why Evan had been trying so hard the last few weeks to get even. He wanted Ryan to be able to count on him and to know that he was done running away, so he didn't hesitate to remind him whenever he could.
His priorities had changed so much that Evan was determined about one thing. The moment they start the bond, he will stop acting like someone in the closet. He wasn't going to hide what was between them, and he didn't care how his parents would react. Ryan was what mattered.
...
"Will you finally tell me where we're going?" Evan had many strengths, but patience wasn't one of them.
"Can you let me surprise you?" Ryan returned his question, again revealing no details of their destination. They were still in North Hallson, and Evan knew the streets they were walking on, but he couldn't figure out where the ink-haired boy was taking him. Their town was small, and there weren't a lot of options for entertainment, let alone when it came to teenagers.
"Do I have a choice?" Apparently, their conversation had gone into a mode that only allowed questions.
Ryan chuckled, realizing the absurdity of their conversation, but he still didn't seem determined to ruin the secret.
However, instead of continuing their game of questions, he decided to silence Evan in a different way. Though they kept some distance between them, mostly because they were in a part of town where more people were staying, Ryan decided to overcome it for a small moment as he leaned in and pressed a fleeting kiss to Evan's cheek.
"You're going to love this. I promise."
Evan felt his cheeks turn the colour of ruby, but he couldn't help it, and certainly not with Ryan's chocolate eyes watching him. Suddenly he had no idea what to do, much less how to keep calm when all he wanted to do was snuggle closer to the boy at his side.
He had no doubt that if Angie were here, she'd already be making fun of how easy it was to shut him up.
He cleared his throat, searching for his voice, allowing himself time to calm his pounding heart, and then finally, he uttered, "You could still give me a clue."
Ryan grinned again and shook his head in amusement. His days with Evan were often unpredictable, but he had to admit he wouldn't change it for anything.
"'The fact that you'll like it' isn't enough of a clue?" And all of a sudden, they were back at the questions.
"I like a lot of things," Evan declared confidently, though it was far from the truth. No one was as quick to criticize things as he was. (Except for Angie, that is.) He liked art, he liked books, he liked coffee, and that was pretty much it. He wasn't the type who liked to try new things and go out of his comfort zone, and he was absolutely fine with that.
Ryan gave him a look that seemed to read his mind and agree with it, but he didn't say anything out loud. Instead, he decided to divert Evan's mind to other thoughts as he suddenly grabbed him by the hand and pulled him into an alleyway between two shops. They weren't completely hidden from the eyes of passersby, but they'd have to try very hard to see them accurately and be able to make out who they were.
"Is this the moment I find out about your kink?" Evan's smile clearly betrayed that he wouldn't mind at all if that were the case.
"Mmhmm, maybe?" Ryan obviously took that as a cue, as he grabbed him by the shoulders and pushed him up against the wall. After Evan's back touched the wall, Ryan's hands moved next to his head, one on each side, giving him room to get as close to his mate as he could.
Evan's breath caught in his lungs, and his eyes betrayed that he hadn't expected such action from the black-haired boy. Once again, they were so close that all it took was a fleeting movement, and their lips would seal what they were both eagerly awaiting.
"I think you're trying to kill me." It was originally supposed to be a question to further provoke Ryan, but in this situation, he was glad he could manage a word at all. Without even trying, his gaze kept falling on the pair of pink lips that had haunted his dreams for the last few weeks.
"I think you're too pretty for that." Ryan closed the gap between them even more, and it looked like he was about to brush his lips against his, but at the last second, he changed direction and pressed a kiss to the spot between Evan's cheek and the corner of his mouth.
And Evan once again forgot how to breathe.
Ryan returned to his original position and took a step back from him. Evan, still wide-eyed, inhaled sharply and had no idea what to do next. It was as if his brain had suddenly shut down.
This obviously amused the black-haired boy as he chuckled.
"I have to tell Michael that I found a way to shut you up."
Evan shook his head at the man. Not too long ago, he'd claimed he was too innocent and good for this world, but apparently, that was just an act, and he was hiding the devil's horns in that thick black hair.
"So. Are you gonna go willingly, no questions asked, or do you need more convincing?" Ryan's smile revealed that Evan wouldn't mind anything that fell under convincing, so it was a tough choice.
"If I say I'm not convinced?" He finally found his voice.
Ryan took a step forward again, and the tips of their shoes touched. His eyes scanned Evan from head to toe and back, and Evan was beginning to regret being in public.
"This is torture," he voiced without thinking.
"You wanted a kink," Ryan turned it around immediately.
"At this rate, it's going to be a fine for sex in public in a little while," Evan declared, and once again, it became apparent that he had no filter when he was around people he was comfortable with.
This time it was Ryan who was left speechless, his cheeks taking on a deep shade of red.
Evan's smile was reminiscent of Cheshire cat.
"Look who's shut up now."
Evan's courage suddenly grew at a rapid pace, and of course, he had to take advantage of it. Unlike Ryan, however, he decided to provoke him even worse. He reached out and hooked his hand behind his neck, pulling him closer to him. It almost looked like he was reaching up to kiss him, but that wasn't entirely true. At the last moment, in fact, he ducked and put his lips to his neck.
And though he hadn't originally planned to give him a hickey, he suddenly wondered if it would really be such a bad idea.
"Can I?" He asked in a whisper, but being this close, he had no doubt Ryan would hear him. And though he didn't specify what he was asking, the ink-haired boy immediately started nodding, confirming his agreement with a throaty "Yeah."
And Evan didn't need any more convincing.