Chapter 6
Two weeks pass, and Luke and Mikey continue to grow closer.
They enjoy their time indoors out of the summer heat–where they go to vocal lessons, most of which are taught by Brenda–but they also like walking the streets of Moundsville.
They’re familiar to Luke, of course, but since Mikey’s new in town he hardly knows any of them, and Luke likes showing off all of his favorite places in town.
The day is a bright summer day of the kind only West Virginia can create, the sky a blue so bright it almost hurts, and there’s a slight breeze blowing in off the river.
The clean scents of flowers and fresh-mown grass are in the air, and Luke takes a deep breath, savoring this slice of perfect summer beauty.
Given just how warm it is, they’re both in T-shirts and jeans, sneakers and boots, just two West Virginia boys wandering around, enjoying the day.
Before he can think about it Luke slips his hand into Mikey’s, and the warmth of his skin sends a jolt through him. He realizes at once what he’s done and jerks it back, blood rushing into his face.
Stupid Luke, he thinks. Stupid stupid stupid. Why did you think that was okay to do? Just because he put his leg against yours a couple times doesn’t mean he feels anything for you!
He can’t even bring himself to look at Mikey, and so instead he just looks into the distance.
“Hey,” Mikey says. Luke prepares for the “I like you but not in that way” speech, but Mikey surprises him.
“Follow me,” he says. “There’s something I wanna show you.”
Luke has absolutely no idea what to expect, but he’s too perplexed by the whole situation to do anything other than follow where Mikey leads.
As it turns out, he’s just taking him to a little out-of-the-way park, which Luke has passed many times but never really explored.
There’s not much to it: just a few benches, some flowers, and a little path that winds around the edge.
There’s also a little gazebo tucked into one corner, which is precisely where Mikey leads him.
Luke’s palms are sweaty, his heart is rabbiting in his chest, and he isn’t sure whether he’s dreading or yearning for what comes next.
As soon as they’re in the gazebo–and shielded from prying eyes–Mikey takes his hand back in his and, before Luke can say or do anything else, brings it to his lips and plants a gentle kiss there.
Luke freezes, and even though he sees a look of panic on Mikey’s face he still can’t say anything. When Mikey starts to pull his hand away he finally finds his voice.
“I…I really enjoyed that,” he blurts out. “And…I…I wouldn’t mind kissing you on the lips.”
Mikey laughs, but not in a cruel way, and before Luke can say or do anything else he’s stepping closer, wrapping an arm around Luke’s neck, and pulling him in for a full-on kiss.
Luke has kissed girls before, and one time when he’d made out with his friend Dan after a football game when the two of them were both drunk, but none of those experiences were anything like this.
Mikey kisses like it was what he was born to do.
It’s intense and yet tender, too. It’s like nothing Luke has ever experienced.
It takes Luke a few seconds to get the hang of it, but when he does he starts kissing Mikey back with just as much intensity. He breathes deeply, taking in Mikey’s cologne and the faint tang of sweat. He keeps kissing until, at last, Mikey gently starts to pull away.
“Umm…just so you know, I’m not gay,” Mikey says at last, and something inside of him deflates. He also feels incredibly stupid, because how could he have ever thought this was anything close to serious?
Mikey immediately rushes to clarify.
“I’m not sure I’m straight, either,” he says. “I’ve always just…liked guys and girls both. I don’t know. Maybe I’m bisexual?”
A bit of light flashes on his face, and Luke wonders if this is the first time it’s occurred to him that he doesn’t have to be either gay or straight.
He almost leans in for another kiss, but he holds back.
He doesn’t want to get rejected again. Better to leave the ball in Mikey’s court, see what he does or says next.
When Mikey doesn’t do or say anything, though, Luke decides to take the plunge and tell him the thing he hasn’t dared to tell anyone else yet. Not his parents, not his brothers, not even his aunt, who he tells everything.
“I’m…I’m gay,” he says, the words slipping so easily off his tongue. He braces for rejection, but Mikey just smiles and takes his hand back.
“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with being gay. I think you’re adorable, whatever you are.”
What are we doing, then? He almost asks. He hates the uncertainty, but he has a feeling it’s not a good idea to push Mikey.
For now.
For now, he loves the way the sunlight catches in Mikey’s eyes, the way a stray curl falls in his face.
He wants to reach out and touch it, to know what it’s like to run Mikey’s hair through his fingers.
He isn’t sure Mikey wants him to do so, though, and he doesn’t.
He just stands there, waiting for Mikey to make another move.
Mikey doesn’t hold back. He leans in and presses another kiss on Luke’s lips. It lasts longer and when he draws back, he actually looks regretful.
Suddenly they hear voices coming toward them, and they both jump apart, each giving the other a nervous, bashful smile.
The next moment a group of their fellow NACA students appears. Luke’s a little terrified they’ll know exactly what’s been going on, but they don’t seem to notice anything, and it’s not long before they’re all joking and giving each other shit, just like they always do.
All the time they’re talking, though, he can’t keep himself from imagining what it would be like to kiss Mikey again, and maybe to do something more. The two of them catch each other’s eyes more than once, and each time they do Mikey gives him a sly smile.
“What are you smiling about?” asks Kevin. He’s from the southern part of West Virginia, and he has a bit of a twang Luke has always found charming and even a little sexy. However, there’s an edge to his question.
Mikey, though, manages to deflect any hint of suspicion.
“I was just thinkin’ about my girl back home,” he says. “I’ve been missing her a lot lately.”
Luke feels a bit of heartbreak at the words, though he’s pretty sure Mikey is just bullshitting Kevin to throw him off the scent.
Kevin looks skeptical, but he doesn’t push it.
The conversation ebbs and flows a bit more, and then it’s time for them to go back to NACA for their afternoon lessons. The new arrivals leave first and, as they turn their backs, Mikey quickly takes Luke’s hand in his own and plants another kiss on it.
“We’ll have to meet back here again,” Mikey whispers. “Or maybe even somewhere more private. And, just so you know, there’s no girlfriend back home.”
Before Luke can say anything he’s jogging to catch up with the other guys, and he’s left standing there, wondering just what in the hell he’s supposed to do about Mikey Smiles.