10
Eileen was in the passenger seat.
“There’s a party on Saturday,” Eileen said as he sat in. “Are you going?”
Will had heard about it in one of the soccer group texts. Two of the guys were having a joint birthday party. “Everyone’s turning eighteen this month,” he murmured. “And uh, no. I don’t think anyone on the team is too impressed with me right now.”
“Gale said Dune totally chased you out,” Eileen said.
Right. Gale had seen that. “Yeah…” Will winced. “He’s never been mad at me before. I don’t know how James handles that all year.”
“Gale also said once Dune calms down, he’ll apologise and ask you to come back,” Eileen said.
Will turned down the road to the sea. “I don’t know about that,” he answered Eileen. “He was mad for a reason.”
“Oh, come on. It was spin the bottle, Dune needs to get over himself.” Eileen snorted.
“What?” Will frowned, chancing a glance at her. “Spin the bottle?”
“Yeah. It’s not like you two were exclusive or anything,” Eileen continued. “He shouldn’t kick you off the team just because you made out with Birch.”
Will sank down in his seat. The conversation in the back came to a halt. “That isn’t the reason.”
“Didn’t take him for the jealous type.”
Will gave her a look. “That isn’t the reason.”
“Gale said that’s why.”
He did? Will knew Dune had been annoyed with him that night. But…they weren’t dating. They weren’t even that close. The extent of their relationship was some experimenting they’d done on two or three nights, and Dune had never hinted at wanting to be anything more than that. “He’s not jealous,” Will repeated. “And it was just spin the bottle.”
“It was hot.”
“Eileen.” Amanda interrupted, annoyed. “Really?”
Will flicked up the indicator and pulled into Jack’s driveway. The lights in his bungalow were on, and Jack’s dad opened the front door to wave at them.
“Don’t forget to stretch when you get home, Will,” Jack said before he got out. Amanda only said goodbye to Birch. Will couldn’t help remember how peaceful his life had been before Birch. But he didn’t blame Birch for that. It was Amanda that had made Jack ignore Will.
“Amanda is the queen of dirty looks,” Eileen muttered as they pulled away. Will had to swallow down the compulsion to agree. Giving out about her wouldn’t do him any good. “ Anyway ,” Eileen continued, “are you going to go?”
Will felt better when he was part of groups and not excluded from them, but the situation with Dune made him anxious. As angry as Will had been when he stormed off, he didn’t want to quit the team. “You really think Dune will ask me to join again?”
Eileen gave him a look. “With Dune, you just gotta ask nicely. But, I also think Gale is always right about this kind of thing. Wait a week.”
Eileen left the car next, and Will put it in park. There were a few awkward seconds of silence before Will craned his head around to Birch. He was sitting in the middle with an odd, jittery air. “Are you going to sit up here?”
“Oh, yeah.” Birch moved to the front.
“You’ll have to point out your place,” Will said. “I know where the road is, but I’ve never been down this far.”
“Okay. Thanks for driving me,” Birch said.
It was the first time Will had been alone with Birch, and given everything that had happened, he felt awkward. The only way he knew how to deal with awkward was to ignore it. “No problem. You ever consider getting a driving licence to help get around the place?”
He noticed Birch relaxing out the corner of his eye. “Yes. Even when I try to walk somewhere, chances are I’ll end up rained on at some point. I’m so jealous you can drive everywhere.”
“You miss the city?”
“Sometimes. I like that it’s quiet at night. Although it freaks me out not having anyone near our house,” Birch said. “Dad likes it.”
His dad. Will racked his brain. “He’s the environmental dude, isn’t he?”
Birch snorted. “Environmental dude. He’ll love that one.”
“I’m wrong?”
“No, no that’s pretty much dead on.” Birch was smiling now. “I wish you’d come over on Tuesday with Jack and Amanda. Dad would like you.”
Will tightened his grip on the wheel to keep his expression neutral. Jack had cancelled on Tuesday. He didn’t mention why, or invite Will along. Given that Amanda didn’t want him around Birch that was understandable, but still…now he really was feeling left out. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Birch was still waiting for his answer. “Tuesdays are one of my study days,” he said.
“Jack said the same thing.” Birch nodded. “I thought he was making it up.”
“Jack doesn’t make things up,” Will said immediately. He’d avoid topics, sure. But he wouldn’t lie to your face.
“I’m just here.” Birch pointed to a summer home that overlooked the beach. It was massive, with glass covering one side of it instead of walls. “I don’t think my dad’s home,” he said. “Do you want to come in?”
Will went still. Something about the combination of my dad’s not here and come in sent his mind whirling down an odd path. If it hadn’t been for the kiss the other night, he wouldn’t have felt this way. But the invitation implied something, and Will had no idea if Birch had meant that or if he was presuming things like an idiot. “I’d uh, I’d better get going. Dinner will probably be ready soon.” His voice came out weird.
Birch turned to him and his eyes widened, caramel skin blushing red. “No!” he squeaked. “I didn’t mean it like that. I wasn’t inviting you in to have—oh my god, I didn’t mean for it come out like that. I, because I said earlier that Dad would like you, I was just—”
“I get it,” Will interrupted. Birch was so embarrassed it was making him embarrassed. Still…the blush looked good on him.
“What?” Birch asked, his neck and even his ears turning pink.
“You’re cute when you’re flustered.” Will chuckled.
Birch’s eyes widened, and Will winced. “I’m sorry, I uh, I meant…”
“It’s okay.” Birch bit his bottom lip.
The action drew Will’s eyes down. God, Amanda would kill him if he did what he was itching to do in that moment. He didn’t even know where the feeling came from. Maybe it was because he felt good, and Birch was cute, and… he wanted to.
Besides, why should Amanda decide whether Will could go for someone? What if he was interested in Birch as well? What if Birch liked him? He’d seemed to like how Will kissed him at the party.
Will reached out, brushing his fingers against Birch’s jaw. Birch took in a sharp breath, his eyes jumping from Will’s eyes to his lips. He leaned toward him, making it easy for Will to duck down and kiss him.
There was a moment of hesitation where it was awkward. But Will pretended it wasn’t, and that seemed to work wonders. Birch tangled his hands through Will’s hair. Will could feel the same unsureness in Birch he’d felt that night of the party, and he instinctively took charge.
Birch was slim and lean and melted against Will the longer they kissed. Will undid his seatbelt and felt around ‘til he found and unclipped Birch’s too. He broke the kiss. “Climb over here,” he urged Birch.
Birch’s honey eyes were glazed over. He complied, straddling Will and their lips connected again. The weight on his lap felt good. Birch’s hands stayed locked around Will’s neck, no doubt too nervous to explore, and he liked that too. Most of all, he liked that he was in charge. The control was reassuring.
Their hips were rolling together, and the kiss was as far from innocent as they could get. If Will could think straight, he’d be shocked at his own behaviour. There was no excuse, no alcohol to blame for a loss of control. He didn’t think he was a guy who would do this in a car with someone he hardly knew, but he cared more about the delicious heat in his stomach than he did about his common sense, or decency.
“Will,” Birch panted, “come inside.”
Will gripped Birch’s hips to stop him moving against his body. If it felt this good crammed together on a seat, how would it be on a bed? Should he do this? Did he want to? “When will your dad be home?”
“Not ‘til later,” Birch said quickly.
Will wavered and pulled Birch back to him quickly before he could sober up. When Birch asked again, he didn’t allow any distance. He pressed close to Will, and he kept moving against him. “Come in.”
Will’s reluctance was hard to remember with Birch this close. He knew Birch was doing it on purpose, but he didn’t mind anymore. He was too lost in what was going on to care that his control was slipping away. “We don’t have anything,” he murmured.
“There’s stuff in the master bedroom,” Birch said in a husky voice. He kissed Will hard before pulling back. He continued in a whisper. “I swear I won’t tell anyone. I know your friends were mad at you after the party, but they don’t need to know. I like how you kiss me, and I—I think you like it. Nothing else should matter.”
Right. Why should Will hold back if Birch was interested in him too? Amanda would just have to deal with it. Will focused on Birch, identifying anxiety in his expression. Will was as far from anxious as he could be. He shared a lazy kiss with Birch, and then a lazy smile. “I agree. If we both like it, why shouldn’t we?”
“You’re way too attractive,” Birch uttered.
Will remembered how annoyed he was when he noticed that Birch was good looking. All because Jack had…
Will stilled. The reason he’d been so stressed out after the party came back to him in a rush. It wasn’t because Amanda had ignored him. It was because Jack had. And if Will upset Amanda, Jack would take her side.
Birch let out a squeak and dived off of Will’s lap into the passenger seat. Disorientated, Will blinked at him.
“My dad.” Birch jutted his chin to the jeep that had just pulled up to the side of the house. Luckily, it was now parked a good distance away. Birch looked remorsefully at it. “Well, there goes that. Um. Would you still like to come in?” He was back to being shy and blushing. “Dad will like you.”
Not a hope in hell. “If we both went in like this, I don’t think he would like me very much,” Will pointed out. Birch’s gaze flicked down, and then he turned away blushing profusely.
“I see your point.” Birch got out.
Will almost let him leave, wanting to put distance between them, but even he knew that would be a dick move. “Here, let me fix your hair before you go in.”
“Is it messy?”
Birch was sporting a very bad case of bedhead. “Very.” Will did his best and then straightened his shirt collar. Birch’s lips were a little swollen, but there wasn’t anything Will could do about that. “Okay. That would get me a pass at home.”
“Thanks.” Birch smiled. He leaned across the gearbox and Will caught him, keeping him away.
The confused look Birch gave him caused guilt to stab through his chest. “Cars have windows, you know.” Will pointed out. “Unless you want your dad to see you kissing me goodbye?”
Birch relaxed. “Right,” he said. “I’ll uh, I’ll see you—”
“At school tomorrow,” Will answered quickly. “Goodnight.”
“Night,” Birch echoed, getting out of the car and looking very nervous and very unsure.
Will pulled out of the driveway with a racing heartbeat. He briefly contemplated slamming his forehead into the steering wheel. He shouldn’t have done that.