20. Twenty
Twenty
Tyler
Seth shifts in the seat next to me. The theater isn’t packed but we’re not alone. My eyes glance from the screen around the room. From where we’re sitting at the far back, we have a limited amount of privacy. No one is really gonna notice or care if we kiss. I figured Seth brought me here because of that, and we wouldn’t have to worry about running into anyone, but his eyes have been glued to the screen, watching the movie. I move my hand onto our shared armrest, going for the soda. After taking a drink, I let my hand shift further on his side when I put the cup back. His leg twitches, jolting under my hand before Seth looks over at me.
In the dim lighting of the theater, it’s hard to make out his facial expressions. I have to trust my instincts as I lean closer and press my lips to his. Seth’s hand goes on top of mine, holding me there as he kisses me back. His knee bumps the armrest as he turns to better face me, and he pulls back with a laugh. I grab the soda, moving it to my other side, and raising the armrest between us to get rid of the issue. Seth kisses me again. His lips making their way from mine to my neck and up to my ear. “Not enjoying the movie?” he asks.
“It’s fine. There are just other things I’d rather do.” I trail my fingers over his inner thigh, hoping he gets the hint of what I’m trying to say.
Seth chuckles under his breath. “This is a bit public.”
“Didn’t stop you in the showers,” I answer back.
A light flashes from the movie, lighting up the room for a moment and Seth’s eyes meet mine. He scoots closer, his leg pressed into mine as he kisses my neck and lightly bites down on my earlobe. “Dammit, Ty, I’m trying to be good.”
“Stop trying.” As soon as the words leave my lips, Seth grabs my wrist, stopping my hand from moving up and tracing the outline of his cock through his sweats. He presses his lips to mine, taking the time to draw out the kiss and get me more worked up than I already was.
“Behave. We can do that later. For right now, let’s watch the movie,” he tells me when he pulls back. Seth doesn’t let go of my hand, but he repositions us, lacing his fingers with mine. I can’t say this is what I had in mind, but as I turn my head to look at the screen, I have to admit this isn’t bad. Holding hands with Seth as we watch the zombies kill people on the screen is oddly intimate. I lose track of time, getting caught up in the storyline as the humans race to create a cure. Before I know it, the credits are rolling, and the movie is over.
“Was that too terrible for you?” Seth asks as the lights go on. We hold back, letting the lower rows exit first.
“It was alright,” I answer with a shrug. “What’s next? We head back to the campus now?”
“Not quite yet. I was thinking we could hit a restaurant. Have something to eat?”
“A restaurant, huh? First a movie and now dinner?” A grin stretches across my face as I finally realize what Seth is trying to do. Go figure, I’d be the one trying to sex him up in the theater, when he was trying to be romantic and take me on a date.
“Just two friends hanging out,” Seth says, holding his hands out as a peace gesture. “I’m feeling hungry and thought you might be too.” Despite his words, he grins as his eyes sweep over me. I can see the offer for what it is. Neither one of us might be at the point of calling this a date, but if it quacks like a duck …
“Sure, I could eat.” I take a step closer and sling my arm around Seth’s shoulders. “But uh, just to clarify. Since this is us eating a meal together as friends, I’ll be paying my share.”
“You thought I’d offer to pay for you?” Seth raises his eyebrow like he thinks I’m joking. “Please, if anything, you ought to pay for both of us. A little payback for the tutoring sessions and helping you with your classes.”
“I thought the school paid you for that?” I ask.
“Uh, yeah, they were, but I haven’t been reporting the last few sessions. It’s hard to figure out which hours we’re studying and when we’re studying. ” Seth waggles his eyebrows to make the distinction, and I shove his shoulder.
“Shut up, come on, let’s go eat.” I pause as we step in front of Seth’s car. Part of me really wants to kiss him right now, but we’re in the middle of a parking lot where anyone could see us. It shouldn’t matter. We’re in town and it’s not like someone is gonna see that would care. I reach out and grab Seth’s wrist before he can walk to the driver’s side. My body presses his into the side of the car, holding him there as I press my lips to his. He kisses me back, sliding his tongue into my mouth and deepening the kiss. “Thank you for inviting me out,” I tell him when our lips part.
Neither of us says anything as we get in the car and Seth pulls out of the lot. He drives to a chain restaurant that’s barely a step above fast food. I’m not sure if this is what he can usually afford or if he’s sticking to the “this isn’t a date” line he’s trying to sell me. Either way, I don’t complain. There’s a football game on the TV as we walk in, and my eyes are focused on the screen as the hostess talks to Seth. “Table for two,” he tells her. “Preferably away from the TV.”
I follow along, pulling my eyes from the game as she leads us to the other end of the restaurant. “Got an issue with football?” I ask once we’re alone.
“Nope. I’d just rather your attention be on me.” Seth’s blunt statement gets my attention, but when I look at him, there’s a smirk on his face. I’m not sure if he’s joking around or not.
“Is that the only part of me you want on you?” I reach my hand under the table, placing it on his thigh.
Seth smacks my hand lightly with a chuckle. “It is for now. Come on, we should be looking at the menu, so we have some idea of what to order when the waitress shows up.” He grabs his menu, opening it in front of him, and looking away from me. Reluctantly, I follow suit, checking out my choices.
“You looking forward to the game next week?” I ask. We have a home game coming up that will determine if we’re going to finals. It’s nearing the end of the season and most of the team is hyped that we’ve made it this far. I know I should be thrilled since it’s my senior year, but lately my mind has been elsewhere.
“Yeah, but it’s almost too bad it’s a home game. It could have been fun to share a hotel room again.”
Before I get the chance to reply, the waitress shows up holding our drinks. “Are you ready to order?” she asks.
Seth switches topics without missing a beat as he orders a burger and fries. It takes me a few moments to get my mind off sex and focused on food. In the end I order the first thing my eyes land on that sounds decent. “I’ll have the chicken Alfredo.” We hand over our menus and the waitress leaves.
Seth’s foot nudges me under the table. “Smooth,” he says.
“We might not have a hotel room, but that doesn’t mean we can’t meet up afterwards. I’m sure one of our frats will throw a party, and that should make it easy for the two of us to sneak off.”
Seth takes a drink, considering his answer before he talks again. “Sure. If you want.”
I’m tempted to bring up the possibility of sex again, but this doesn’t seem like the time or place. But it’s not even the biggest question on my mind. Are we still gonna do this after the season is over?
Throughout the meal we make small talk, discussing the movie and our classes. It’s nice, but neither of us touches on those bigger issues. Doesn’t mean I’m not thinking about it. I find it almost funny. If someone had told me just a few months ago that I’d be contemplating sex with Miller, I probably would’ve laughed. Now I’m seriously considering buying some lube to finger myself and try it out.
“You okay?” Seth asks when we’ve finished eating, and I pull out my card to pay the bill.
“Yeah, just thinking about what homework I need to get done this weekend,” I lie. It’s easier than telling him what’s really on my mind. We don’t kiss again as we pile into the car. It’s not until we pull into the parking lot that time seems to slow down. Seth kills the engine and looks over at me as he leans in slowly.
“So, I guess I’ll see you around?” he asks.
I close the distance between us, pressing my lips to his with a solid smack. His hand grabs the back of my head, fingers twining into my hair to hold me to him. It doesn’t cross my mind to care that someone might see us making out in the parking lot until after Seth pulls back. “This was nice, thanks for inviting me. We’ll have to do it again sometime. You know, hangout.” I raise my hands to air-quote the word and Seth laughs. He doesn’t try to correct me, but we both know he’s not fooling either of us by saying this wasn’t a date.