Chapter 2 Past #2
“Oh my god.” Ry’s face flushed with heat. He shifted away from Alex and crossed his arms.
Alex paused the movie and moved next to him. “Hey, sorry if things got weird for you. I mean, I know you like guys, so it’s not like it’s a big secret. It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not,” Ry said.
Alex sighed, folding his hands in his lap. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel weird. And, well, maybe—I like guys too.”
“What?” Ry glanced over at Alex. Despite the dim light, a blush spread across Alex’s face.
Ry felt a large hand on the back of his head, Alex suddenly close. Hot lips kissed him awkwardly. And then his “problem” got worse and painfully hard. He kissed Alex harder than he meant to.
Ry wanted to take so much of what Alex now offered. As teeth clashed and lips met, their tongues explored each other in a slow, hesitant dance. But to Ry, it was as perfect as it could be.
“So,” Ry said after a moment. “Um, that was totally your idea by the way.”
“Yup.”
Then Ry kissed him. This was better. Less awkward than the clumsy fumbling that had preceded it.
A gentle exploration, and a promise of more.
Ry carded one hand through Alex’s hair; with the other, their fingers entangled gently.
The world seemed to fade away. But then, just as the kiss deepened, just as the emotions threatened to overwhelm him, Ry pulled back.
“And that was my idea.”
“Totally.”
And then they were kissing again, this time learning as they went. Ry had kissed no one before. So he learned through grunts and groans, through body motion and sound, what Alex liked and, through his own body, what he liked.
“Shit,” Ry said after a couple of minutes. “Damn, that was—unexpected.”
“Yeah.” Alex looked lost and disheveled. “Why’d we stop?”
“Shouldn’t we talk about it or something?” Though he neglected to mention his raging hard-on. God, he wanted to just tackle Alex and get them both naked.
“What’s there to talk about?” Alex ran his hands through Ry’s hair. Handsy Alex was very unexpected.
“Everything?”
Alex pouted. “But I wanna make out.”
“But you didn’t before!”
“I didn’t?” Alex looked taken aback.
“What? You did!”
Then Alex was laughing and then laughing harder and trying to catch his breath.
“What’s funny?” Ry demanded. “Come on. It’s not funny.”
“We’ve both been wanting to kiss each other for like ever and are just doing it now. Gosh, we really are something else.” Alex shrugged, running a thumb along Ry’s cheek. “You’re really cute. I thought so the day we met.”
“But I thought you were just hanging out with Brand?”
“I stayed cuz I thought maybe it’d be nice to hang out and kiss you,” Alex said. His eyes were soft in the low light. “Then you turned out to be cool, and I didn’t wanna fuck it up.”
“But you are could-have-anyone-at-school-hot.”
Alex rolled his eyes. “And you aren’t?”
After an awkward silence, they both erupted into giggles.
Ry said, “So, do you want to finish watching this or kiss somewhere more comfortable?”
Alex turned off the TV. “Come on.”
Ry led the way, anticipation buzzing in his chest, a strange mix of exhilaration and nerves. Alex followed. Their footsteps echoed softly on the wooden floor of the empty house. He took them two at a time, each step fueled by his mounting excitement, the air thick with anticipation.
The moment he crossed the threshold of his room, Alex pinned him against the wall. Like magnets, their lips met, electricity passing between them. He lost himself in the sensations. The touch, the heat. His shirt kept riding up, but he kept tugging it down.
Alex grunted, teasing Ry’s lip with his teeth. “Come on, I’m trying to take your shirt off.”
Ry’s breath hitched as Alex's hand, warm and firm, tugged at the hem. A chill rushed over him—a stark emptiness where the shirt had been. His awkward scrawniness, a familiar discomfort, now bare before the most beautiful person Ry’d ever seen.
“Please be nice,” Ry whispered, his voice as small as he felt.
But Alex stared at the exposed flesh, dumbstruck. Silence hung heavy, broken only by Ry's shallow breaths. He felt a chill crawl up his spine, a desperate urge to shield himself from the unwavering stare.
“Jesus,” Alex said, exhaling at last. “You are so beautiful. I mean, I’ve only caught glimpses, but wow.
” Alex reached out as if Ry could shatter or burn him.
Alex ran his fingertips lightly across his skin.
Goosebumps flashed under that touch. Alex groaned, closing his eyes before opening them again. Passion burned in those eyes.
Ry blushed, his whole upper body flames under Alex’s gaze. He tugged on Alex’s shirt. “You should take yours off. This isn’t a shirtless party of one.”
But before Ry could help, Alex had already snatched it off. “It’s not like you haven’t seen me shirtless before.”
“But it’s the first time I can really look,” Ry said, his voice reverent.
Alex stood before him, the lines of his face softened in the light, vulnerability etched in his features.
For the first time, Ry understood exactly how young Alex was: his tall frame belied his youth.
Light caught the curve of his cheek, making him breathtaking.
Ry's hand lifted, fingers yearning for the warmth of skin beneath them.
“Gorgeous,” Ry said, his voice soft.
Alex squirmed under Ry’s gaze. “You really think so?”
Ry nodded. He laid his hands on Alex’s chest, feeling the heat radiate from flushed skin. His fingers traced the curves of muscle, the gentle rise and fall of ribs. Alex’s warm gaze locked with his, unwavering.
Ry closed the distance between them and kissed Alex: a whisper of a kiss, tender. In that moment, he changed forever. The world stilled; silence descended. Only Alex’s heat bloomed against him, the sole reality. The only thing that could ever be important.
Ry sighed after the kiss ended, collapsing into Alex’s arms. Alex held him close, their breathing slow and rhythmic against each other. He let his hands fall to Alex’s waist and tugged him toward the bed. He sat down, spent, and fell backwards.
“You’re telling me we missed out on how much of this?” Ry asked, looking up at Alex.
“I plan to make up for lost time.” Alex lay next to him. “Do you?”
Ry nodded.
The clock downstairs chimed eleven. Ry yawned, aware of the lethargy in his limbs now that he was horizontal. “It’s late. I don’t wanna go to class tomorrow.”
Alex groaned. “Don’t remind me.”
“Do you want to spend the night?” Ry reached out, his hands feather-light on Alex’s arm. “Like with me?”
Ry watched Alex swallow and think. “I’d like that. I’ll at least text my dad. Not that he’d care.”
They got ready for bed, with Ry giving Alex a toothbrush. Ry changed into some pajamas, offering an oversized shirt that wouldn’t fit Alex. Instead, he went to bed with his underwear on.
“We’ll have to get up early so I can get some clean underwear.” Alex pulled Ry closer. “I don’t think yours will fit.”
“Probably not.” Ry smiled. He had to ask the question burning in his mind. “What do you want us to be? Dating?”
“Would you want to date?”
“Hell yeah!” Ry said, grinning.
“Okay,” Alex said, looking pleased with himself. “Why don’t we try that out?”
“We should tell Brand and Lon,” Ry said. “I’ll be in trouble with Lon all year if I don’t tell him.”
Alex laughed. “Yeah, we probably should tell them before kissing in front of them. Tomorrow?”
“Okay,” Ry said, then his brain kicked in, reminding him of his first year out. How would everyone treat the most popular jock in school? “No pressure, of course?”
Alex gave Ry a funny look. “You think anyone is gonna mess with me?”
“No,” Ry said. “Might with me. I guess I should have thought about it more.”
Alex ran his hands through his hair, the feeling amazing for Ry. “You’ll be fine, my little princeling,” he said. “Most people know I’m not straight, and they are cool with me.”
“Are you gay or bi?” Ry asked before he could think.
Alex shrugged. “I’m still figuring it out, but I’m either bi or pan. Why all these questions though?”
“You’re like super hot.”
“And you aren’t?” Alex smiled. “I don’t care what anyone else says. You are amazing, and beautiful, and funny. ”
Ry ran his hands through Alex’s hair. “You are amazing.”
“Ha, my dad and sister don’t think so. You may convince Ella, though.”
“Shouldn’t be too hard,” Ry said. He then leaned in more and kissed Alex. It felt natural now, like they belonged together. He entwined his fingers with Alex’s, squeezing his hand.
After a while they fell silent, wrapped in each other’s arms, their kisses punctuated by shifts in position. Ry eventually drifted off to sleep, nestled against Alex, a scenario he had only dreamed of. It was both unbelievable and amazing.
Ry was dating Alex, and he couldn’t stop smiling.