*Tyler's POV*

When I told Troye not to tempt me before we left for school I was being completely serious. It took everything in me to turn away from him and head for the car, my hands balled into fists where they were buried deep in my pockets. The tension had been nearly unbearable for weeks now, my mind coming up with constant scenarios on what would happen if I kissed him right now, my body constantly acting on it's own and touching him before I even thought it through. It was never anything too forward, just little things like reaching for his hand or swatting at his ass playfully. It's not that he seemed to mind, and I didn't either, but it was the fact I was acting before I thought it through that worried me. It was only a matter of time before I did something that went past the line. 

At the same time, the line was beginning to get harder and harder to distinguish, blurring more and more with each touch we shared. None of what we did really fit under the platonic friend category anymore, but yet we acted like it did. I was beginning to wonder if the line even existed at all actually. Half of me was terrified of taking it too far and having things get awkward, half of me worried there was no line at all and I could do anything I wanted without managing to change our relationship. It was a constant waiting game, full of unsurities and hesitation, and I hated every second... Nearly as much as I loved them.

Even right now, driving to school in the dead of silence, I was completely high off of his company. We hadn't even said anything to each other since getting in the car, yet just being near him was enough to put a stupid smile on my face and a bubbly warmth in my chest. Any other day I'd probably be grumpy, looking at the dreary cloudy sky overhead and the slush of half-melted snow all over the road, but not after spending my morning with Troye.

And what a morning it had been! Troye in nothing but a towel, Troye in an adorable ugly Christmas sweater, Troye panting and spiteful in the snow, Troye shirtless and guiding my hands over the smooth planes of his chest, Troye nervous and blushy in his front yard after whatever slip-up it was he'd made. He refused to elaborate on what he'd actually been getting at, but I wasn't about to dwell on it. He was probably just going to say something then thought better of it.

I pulled into the parking lot with a soft sigh, knowing we'd have to separate immediately given how late we were already running. There'd be no few minutes of the morning to just hang-out with each other before classes started, we had to go now. I parked the car, immediately reaching for my backpack in the middle seat. I giggled as my hand collided with Troye's, closely resembling those awkward moments in movies where love interests both reach for the same thing at the same time. However, he was reaching for his bag, not mine.

After locking eyes with each other and exchanging smiles we actually looked where we were reaching, sorting the predicament out and grabbing our corresponding belongings. I pulled mine onto my lap, looking out my window and curling my upper lip up in distaste at all the slush and puddles in the parking lot. Today was far from hot, but it was definitely not as cold as yesterday, leading some of the snow to melting.

"So, we should probably get to our classes before they end." I laughed, glimpsing at the clock and realizing second period was nearing half over. He nodded, his features proving he was about as enthusiastic as I was. I reached over and sat a hand on his thigh, squeezing lightly. "I guess I'll see you at lunch then?"

"Same place as always." He laughed, gracing me with his voice for the first time since leaving his house. I grinned, nodding eagerly and already looking forward to the moment we were reunited, despite not leaving his side yet. We both got out of our doors, me quickly jogging around to grab his hand and lead the both of us inside. I noticed some people were outside, likely skipping or on free periods, but they didn't dwell on our embrace. They glimpsed over and gave us a once-over, apparently deeming us uninteresting as they turned back to their conversation.

We managed to retrieve our late slips and continue walking up until the fork in the road, knowing we both had to go in different directions from here on. I slipped my fingers from between his, pouting internally but outwardly smiling. We turned to each other, eyes locking and searching for any sign of the other speaking up. Neither of us found one, instead just smiling harder before turning and leaving in opposite directions without another word. I made it about two steps before I was balling my hands into fists angrily all over again, frustrated with our less-than-satisfactory goodbye.

This was a regular thing though, I was never happy with the way we parted. I had a feeling it had more to do with the fact we were separating itself than how we didn't give some extravagent parting speech. Then again, maybe it wasn't the speech I was after. Imagine what it'd be like to kiss him goodbye. I'd always looked at teenage couples kissing goodbye between classes as stupid and desperate, but I had a completely different outlook now that I knew what it was like to not be around someone you cared about that much. Their presence quickly grew to be addictive, the way you were always your happiest around them, it was only natural to be upset about giving that up, even if only temporarily. 

By the time I reached the door to my current class, history, I had worked myself into an even greater state of despair. The more I thought about what it'd be like to kiss him goodbye, or even just whenever I wanted to, the more I craved it. The more it frustrated me that we couldn't have it. Well, we could, but how long was I going to have to wait for it?

I walked into the classroom still thinking about it, walking to the teacher's desk almost lost inside my own thoughts. Being able to kiss Troye like I did at the party whenever, can you imagine? I didn't even realize I'd reached my destination until I bumped my knee against the teacher's desk, cursing automatically in reaction.

"That kind of language will not be tolerated in my classroom, young man." I darted my eyes up, actually paying attention to my surroundings now. My face scrunched up in confusion when I saw the little old lady sitting in my usual teacher's spot, internally groaning when I took note of the name sprawled across the whiteboard. A substitute. My favorite teacher would be out today of all days, replaced by this hateful looking woman.

"Sorry, ma'am. I'm here late, this is my slip." I explained, setting the thing paper down on her desk. I immediately turned to leave, surprised by the coughing sound of her clearing her throat.

"Why are you late?" I sighed, turning around with the biggest fake smile I could muster glued onto my lips. 

"It says on the slip." I said politely, gesturing toward where it laid face-down on her desk. She gave me a skeptical look, her worn skin and narrowed eyes almost reminding me of some type of reptile. She reached forward slowly while keeping her eyes on me, as if waiting for me to interrupt. I didn't, instead bouncing on the heels of my feet, eager to get to my seat and away from her unwanted attention. She flipped it over, eyes running from left to right as she read the text.

"You're late because you 'slept in'?" She scoffed, looking back up at me before opening her mouth to continue. "That's hardly a reasonable excuse, Tyler."

"Well, the receptionist downstairs thought it was, so your opinion doesn't really matter." I said, beginning to grow tired of her bitterness. She scoffed, looking back down to her book she'd had sitting open in her lap this entire time, apparently calling our meeting withdrawn. I had no problem with that, hastily turning around and marching over to my usual desk in the back. 

It was easy to figure out what everyone else was doing just by looking at the board, however it was impossible to figure out how to do it myself. It was some sort of special format we had to use to write our papers, however her notes all over the board were impossible to make any sense of. So with a noticeable sigh I raised my hand into the air, knowing I'd need her help to get anything done.

As the seconds ticked by I began to get frustrated. As the minutes ticked by I began to get angry. When she looked up, locked eyes with me and saw my raised hand before looking back down at her book, I began to get furious. What is her problem anyway? Gathering up my books I stomped over to her desk, throwing them all down with a heavy breath of anger. She gasped, looking up at me with total shock written on her features. It was like I'd thrown a dead body on her desk rather than a pile of schoolwork. 

"I've been sitting there with my hand up for ten minutes. I need help." I stated blandly, like I took notice of her taken-aback state. She narrowed her eyes again, looking up at me and shaking her head slowly in dismissal.

"It's my job to teach, not to help."

"Helping people because they didn't understand your lesson is teaching. It's part of your responsibility." I responded snappily, trying my best to keep my calm despite how outwardly rude to me she was being. 

"It's part of a student's responsibility to be here on time so he doesn't miss said lesson." She replied, reaching forward to close my book. I watched in a shocked silence as she gently pushed it across the desk to me, batting her eyelashes obnoxiously before picking up her book again. I made a disgruntled noise of offense, yanking it off the desk and storming back to mine. I practically threw the book down, a loud crack resounding throughout the room. She didn't look up, but I noticed her eye roll, annoyed by her immaturity despite her age.

I sat down then, pulling out my phone and checking for texts from Troye. Finding none, I decided to try something else to keep me entertained. I spent a few minutes on my social media before deciding I couldn't put off my work any longer. With a sigh I opened up my internet browser, deciding to try and figure out the format on my own.

"Put your phone away." I'd been expecting her to snap at me, but that didn't make me any less angry with her when she did.

"Why? If it's not your job to help me I'll do it myself, I'm sure Google can explain it better than you anyway." I replied, my tone full of sass. She got to her feet then, walking over to hover beside my desk, looking down at my judgementally. She held her hand out like she really expected me to just hand it over. I turned it to show her the screen, flashing an endearing smile. "Do you know what Google is? I don't think they had it around in the jurassic period when you were young, let me explain-"

"That's enough out of you. You can go use you 'Goodle' in the principal's office." She interrupted, crossing her arms and stalking back to her desk. She pulled out a detention slip, all of the students in the room looking over at me with knowing smirks or sympathetic smiles. I was quite impressed with the amount of slips I'd managed to get so early in the day. 

I walked over and wordlessly accepted it from her hand once she'd finished writing out the details, ignoring her glare as she handed it over. I turned on my heel, gathering up my things before heading straight for the door, not at all annoyed with the situation. If it got me out of time spent with her then who cares- Shit. I'm going to miss lunch. What if they don't let me go to the dance committee?

I was stressing over it as I walked down the familiar halls, not really paying attention to where I was going until the sound of a gasp right in front of me had me stilling. I looked up, eyebrows arching when I found an unfamiliar boy in front of me. He had a wad of papers in one hand and a tape roll in the other. What's he- Oh. Looking around and taking my surroundings in for the first time, I noticed all the papers stuck to every surface in sight. I took the time to glance over the one closest to me, my expression skeptical.

"Hi Jenna! I know you've probably been asked by tons of people already and may even have a date, but I was wondering if you'd be interested in being my date to the winter dance? I'm willing to pay for dinner before and buy you any corsage you want. Yours sincerely ~L. (You'll know who I am)"

Ew. He's literally hanging up hundreds of fliers asking Jenna Mourey to the dance. The fact that I have no idea who the kid is makes it very clear what her answer is going to be. He's going to get rejected, hard. He'll also probably be found out and get in trouble for 'defacing school property'. However, that's his problem, not mine.

I looked back to him, surprised to see he was still frozen in the same spot he'd been earlier. Is he really that worried about being caught?

"Ten bucks if you don't tell anyone it was me." He blurted, a smile finding my lips as I reached my hand out. He dropped the bill into it, a huge relieved smile on his face as he looked back up to my eyes. I smiled back, using every ounce of energy I had to look genuine as I whispered my reply.

"I hope she says no." And with that I shoved the bill in my pocket, resisting the urge to snicker as I turned and marched on. I didn't even look back, knowing that'd ruin the entire thing. Instead I looked forward, my feet feeling heavier the closer I got to the principal's office. It's not that I was nervous, I'd been there lots in the past, but that didn't mean I was looking forward to it either.

Deciding I needed to distract myself before my nerves got out of order, I thought of my usual go-to distraction; Troye. I wonder if he's had a better morning than me. I wonder how angry he'd be if the principal does force me to skip committee. I wonder if we're going to be put in the same group in committee. I wonder what he'd do if I asked him to the dance- Wait.

A scowl found my face in a matter of seconds, angry with myself for letting my thoughts take that course. I'd thought about it a couple of times since yesterday, but never for any longer than a couple seconds as I always caught myself. I knew it'd only lead to me being disappointed if I thought about it, knowing he wouldn't go. It's not just that he wouldn't, he genuinely couldn't. It'd be selfish of me to force him or even ask him to go when I knew how the crowds would affect him. Just because he didn't put me before himself didn't mean he didn't care. I'm sure if he could he'd want to go to the dance with me.

Imagine what it'd be like if he could though. We could get all dressed up and have his mother take pictures, she'd love that. He'd probably drive us, considering his car works a thousand times better. He'd lead me inside with his arm around my waist. We could laugh and joke around with our friends, genuine friends for a change. We could eventually mingle out onto the dance floor, having fun until the DJ announced a slow song. Then it'd be a game of nerves and shy glances in each other's direction to see who made the first move. Of course it would be me, considering how dense he is. He'd probably be the male role considering his height, holding me close with his arms on my hips, my arms wrapped snugly around his neck. I could almost feel my face resting against his chest, the gentle thud of his chest loud in one ear while the other got to listen to whatever mushy love song they were playing. It'd-

"Tyler? Can I help you? You look lost?" I blinked, coming back to reality in a way similar to be dropped into cold water. I jumped, startled by the intrusion on my pleasant daydream, surprised when I found the principal standing in front of me, clearly confused. Well, this is awkward.

"Uh, yeah, actually I was on my way to your office."

"Oh? Did you need something?" I blushed, deciding it'd be easier not to explain, instead just pulling the slip out of my back pocket and handing it to him. He sighed when he saw it, clearly he'd been hoping for something different. He'd actually been acting a lot nicer to me this year, probably because I was no longer associated with Caspar. "Alright then, I was on my way back to the office anyway. Come on."

The principal's office wasn't actually that bad. Most of the day I just spent talking to him, actually getting to know him in the process. He said that technically I wasn't allowed to participate in after school activities after getting a detention that day, which made my heart momentarily stop, only to start up again when he immediately afterward told me he'd be willing to make an exception. He said he knew the substitute was hard to get along with and that he'd noticed me trying to get my act together for my last year and was willing to cut me some slack. I didn't dare tell him any improvements were unintentional, instead just going along with it when he told me he was proud of me for joining committees and mixing with other social groups. I guess he'd had his eye on me for a while considering how much of a trouble maker I used to be, impressed by how much I'd 'changed for the better' this year.

That said, I was totally relieved when the end of the day bell rang, jumping up from my seat before he even gave me the okay. I looked back guiltily, smiling at him in case he was angry with me. He just laughed though, waving his hand toward the door. 

"Get out of here, you seem like you're excited. Try not to end up here again anytime soon, got it?"

"Yes sir!" I said, adding a salute for extra measure. He smiled warmly, nodding his confirmation when I started to inch toward the door. I turned and took off then, trying not to run while in his sight and ending up in an awkward speed-walk hobble. I didn't care though, practically skipping with how eager I was to see Troye after being apart all day. I was going to barrel into him in a hug, regardless of who was near when I finally met up with him. 

I didn't expect to find him in the hallways, knowing he probably left a little ahead of the general group or a little later so he wouldn't have to get caught up in the stampede of eager to leave students. I decided my best bet would be to just head straight for the gymnasium, knowing he'd either be there already or at least end up there sooner or later. 

The room was relatively empty when I got there, obviously one of the firsts there. The teacher running it was sitting on a chair surrounded by the three youngest members of the committee, discussing decorations with them or something. I bounded over, greeting the four women with an over-the-top wave.

"Hey guys! What are we doing today?" I greeted, looking around at them. The three girls just blushed and giggled amongst themselves, making me wonder if my reputation decline has spread to the younger grades already. I just assumed everyone in the school thought I liked dick by now. Maybe they're just shy around anyone though, I shouldn't make assumptions.

"Splitting up into three different groups. It's first come first choice. Which would you like to be in; decorations, food, or music?"

"Are you kidding? Definitely food." I laughed, already imagining all the exciting things that could entitle. It was definitely settled, food was hands down the best option.

"You're over there by the tables." She laughed, pointing to the far corner. I just nodded, starting over with an eager bounce to my step. I could already see the cupcake trays set up, my mouth watering at the array of colors and decoration styles they had. I sat down at one of the seats, the first person in this group apparently. 

People started to filter into the room a lot quicker after a couple of minutes, making it clear they were all quite good friends with each other seeing as they traveled in a pack. They didn't seem to have any trouble splitting up into the three smaller groups though, all obviously having their own preferences. I watched the seats around me fill up with talkative girls, realizing only when the table was nearly full that Troye being too late to be in my group was a reasonable concern. He was hardly ever late, it shouldn't be a problem. What if it is though? I can't save seats, can I?

I began to get nervous each time a new person walked into a room, relieved when they joined other groups, or even angry when they started toward the food corner. It wasn't fair. We had about two seats left, meaning if Zoe and Troye walked in now there'd be just enough room. What was taking them so long anyway? I don't think we get the option to switch groups after today, they'd better hurry up.

I watched the door nervously, breathing out a sigh of relief when Zoe and Troye walked in finally, the two seats remaining empty. It's going to be okay, he'll be in my group. I relaxed back down onto the seat, risking a glance around the rest of the members of my group. I didn't recognize any but they were all chatting among the group and obviously knew each other well. All the more reason to be happy Troye can still join, I won't be the odd one out that doesn't know anyone else.

Smiling, I looked back over toward the teacher, eyes going wide when I didn't find them talking to her. Where was he? I looked around almost frantically, jaw dropping when I saw him settling down at the decoration table, a frown evident on his lips even from here. What the hell? There was room in this group, why didn't he join? Surely he knew I was over here? 

I pouted, looking back over at the others as they started to lift the tray off the cupcakes. Well, at least I can drown my sorrows in expertly-made baked goods.

I wasn't wrong when I said expertly-made, they tasted like something straight out of heaven. I ate way more than my share, but none of the girls called me out on it, only offering me soft smiles whenever I made eye contact. One girl even offered me hers, a clear attempt at flirting, but I wasn't about to say no. 

After that I started to join in on their conversations, not really befriending them but passing time with the lighthearted topics. They talked mostly about the dance, who was going with who and who they thought would make a good king and queen. It made me uncomfortable to know that people were rooting for Caspar and Jenna, but it's not like it really mattered anyway. If people wanna support their positions of power good for them. 

Time actually passed quicker than I thought it would, the constant gossiping really distracting even if I didn't give my input most the time. They had more than enough opinions without mine. The best part was when they disagreed, watching them fight it out only to 'come to an agreement to disagree' and 'make up'. You could still see the hatred burning in their eyes, but nobody mentioned it.

I was actually surprised when one of the girls told me it was time to start cleaning up, looking around the room and finding that everyone else already had. Some people were even walking over to wait for their Chinese food already. That seemed both pathetic and realistic seeing as I was still hungry despite all the cake sampling. I'd had detention straight through lunch, only getting three granola bars from the principal to tide me over. It was child abuse, truly, I don't know how they can get away with stuff like that.

"Tyler, you can go over and wait for your food if you want. We only have to take the cupcake displays apart, it'll only take a minute at most and it's definitely not a job we need the whole group for." I smiled, thankful for the flirty girl who's name I suddenly couldn't remember. I didn't let her know that, simply thanking her before turning and looking around the room. Part of me wanted to head straight for line-up, especially seeing how long it was already, but I had priorities.

I spotted Troye in the middle of the room, walking with Zoe beside him, frustration clear on his features. I started toward him in a near-sprint, eager to talk to him. By the time I reached them they'd came to a stop beside their decorating table from earlier, both facing each other and in the middle of some kind of conversation. Zoe noticed me approaching Troye from behind obviously, but she made no move to acknowledge it to my delight. I wanted to surprise Troye anyway, knowing he wouldn't expect me to get out of my group this early. I paused behind him, deciding to check what kind of conversation I'd be interrupting. I didn't want to mess it up if it was important.

"Okay, so all you've done is kiss each other's cheeks? I kiss my grandmother's cheek, Troye, that's just sad." My eyebrows quirked up, immediately realizing they were talking about Troye and I. Well, I hope they are, if he kisses a bunch of boys cheeks then that will be a bit of a let-down.

"Well, we did some other stuff today." He said, his tone almost defensive, like he was trying to prove himself to her. I smirked, a surge of pride coursing through me. He wants to prove our relationship to her, how cute is that?

"Other stuff?" Zoe asked curiously, surprising me by how easy it was for her to disregard the fact she knew I was listening. She's so sneaky, it's almost worrying.

"Touching I guess, but nothing below the waist." He explained, his tone almost shy. My heart bounded in my chest, glad he'd taken as much away from the moment as I had. It was strangely hot hearing him talk about it too, the way he sounded so nervous but prideful at the same time, almost like he was bragging indirectly.

"What'd he do? Give you a sexual back massage?" Zoe scoffed, my lips quirking up into a smile as I caught her eye for a second around the corner of Troye's shoulder. She smiled back, though her gaze shifted back to Troye's in an obvious attempt to cover her tracks. He seemed oblivious, just biting his lip as I peered up at him over his shoulder, curious of his response to that.

"No, he like... Well, he-" He shut his mouth, pouting his lips out and creasing his face up in obvious thought. I bit my lip, waiting to hear his response. It didn't come though and I grew impatient, taking a step closer to him and deciding to explain it myself.

"This." I whispered, pressing my front up against the back of him, heart racing as my hands wrapped around his torso. They immediately landed on his upper chest rather than starting at his stomach, knowing I had a short timeframe before he'd push me off all shy.

"Ah! Tyler!" He gasped, making me swallow roughly as he jumped back against me. My breath caught at the friction, giggling at his reaction despite the different path my thoughts were taking. It didn't help when he leaned further back against me rather than breaking away, surprising me when I knew there were people looking over at us. I couldn't push him away though, knowing what a big deal him not jumping away was. Instead I let my chin settle on his shoulder, taking only a second to catch my breath before speaking up again.

"-But with less clothes, right, Troye-boy?" I muttered, pecking my lips into the dip where his neck met with his shoulder. He nodded desperately, his breathing ragged despite how little I'd touched him. We were definitely easily excitable, at least when it came to each other.

"How was the food group?" Zoe asked, smirking slightly when I gave a surprised eyebrow quirk to her calm and composed exterior. I guess she managed to keep her crazy in check if it meant not creeping us out to the point we would stop touching.

"Good aside from the fact my stomach wouldn't stop growling the entire time. Man, am I looking forward to our ending snack!" I laughed, still trying to sound casual and get a grip before I ended up with a problem I couldn't fix. I wasn't that turned on or anything, but if I let my thoughts dwell on how cl- No. That's exactly what I'm trying not to think about. 

I brought my hands off his hips and rubbed them together excitedly in front of both of us, both a bid for distraction and to seem more normal to Zoe. I doubted she could notice how flustered I was when I was more or less hidden behind Troye, but it didn't hurt to be safe. 

I jumped slightly as the teacher suddenly yelled around the room, announcing the arrival of the food. I decided to use that as my escape excuse, I slipped my hands back around Troye. I paused, only thinking it through for a second before bringing my hand down against his butt, squeezing lightly before letting go. I tried to ignore the way his breath hitched and how I noticed his hands in tight fists at his sides, telling myself that it had nothing to do with me. Deciding I couldn't let myself dwell on his reactions or not-reactions any longer I cleared my throat, shouting cheerily. "That's my cue!"

I immediately headed toward the food, breathing heavily the more I thought about Troye. How hot his reactions always were, how good it felt to have my hands on him, how good it felt to know it was my hands causing the reactions.

The drive back to Troye's had been eventful despite how quiet it started out. It was a weird mix of emotions and fighting and flirting, but it left me feeling oddly content. It wasn't really a necessary conversation per say, but it felt good having it. I hated to think that Troye could believe I didn't see what he was worth for even a second. He was everything to me, he had a right to know as much.

We continued a more lighthearted conversation the rest of the way to his house, discussing the Christmas decorations we drove past or the cheesy songs that came on the radio. His mood seemed to have changed considerably just over a couple of compliments, something I took note of for the future. If that was all it took to get back on his good side I'd better learn it now.

We kept up the lighthearted chatter as we got out of the car, talking over the roof until he walked over and joined me again. It was only natural now that we ended up holding hands or with our arms around each other, the way his fingers wove between mine almost instinctive as we started toward the front door. It was the same way that I waited for him to walk around the car before moving forward, or how we always texted or called each other before sleeping.

"Mom? Dad?" Troye called as he led me through the door, stomping the snow off onto the mat. I followed his lead, pushing the door closed and looking down to watch what I was doing. However, that meant I didn't realize Troye had walked away until I stood back up. I practically threw my shoes off then, padding further into the house and peeking into every room I walked past. When I didn't find him in the kitchen or living room I was torn betwen going further on the first floor or taking my chances upstairs. I was about to head upstairs when Troye walked down the hallway, holding a huge box that had me quirking my eyebrows in confusion.

"Christmas tree decorations." He mutterred, dropping them onto the couch. A huge smile found my lips, walking over to peek in at the contents. They had at least three times the decorations I did, all of them just for the tree by the look of it. I was about to comment on just how impressive the collection was when I turned to Troye, jaw dropping when I saw his siblings walking down the hall with more boxes. Are these all for the tree? God, Laurelle, you're insane. Where do they even keep all their holiday decorations?

"She told us to go wait in the van after this, apparently they'll both be out in a minute. They're looking for some certain decoration I guess." Sage muttered, giving a pointed glare in the decoration she'd came from. Troye sighed, reaching up to run a hand through his hair.

"They'll never find it down there in the basement. Whatever, let's go." He sighed, marching back toward the front door. I pouted slightly when he didn't grab my hand even though I knew it was for the best, knowing Sage would make a way bigger deal out of it than needed.

Instead I trailed behind him, dragging my feet slightly and listening to Sage and Tyde bicker about who got what seat in the van. I really hoped they didn't keep the conversation up once we got outside, it was already beginning to give me a headache. The obnoxiously high tone of Sage's voice when she was irritated compared to Tyde's that only got lower was absolutely horrible on the ears.

Much to my dismay they did, not shutting up for a second as we all stood hovered around outside. At one point Tyde started to play dubstep through his phone, only adding to the annoying levels of the situation. We lasted two minutes waiting around with them before Troye decided to go back into the house for the van keys, hoping their fight would die down once they'd already sat in their seats. However, he never got inside, angrily fighting with the doorknob for twenty seconds before trudging back over to me.

"I'm sorry, we're locked out of both the house and the van. Are you cold? Should I go see if the back door's locked?"

"I'll be fine. If worst comes to worst you can warm me up." I whispered, relishing in the blush that darted across his face in reaction. His siblings were completely oblivious, screeching at each other from where they now stood on the front yard. I saw the occasional snowball whir past one of them, one even landing at my feet, but I tried to tune them out for the most part.

By the time his parents finally walked out, laughing and in the middle of a conversation, I was about ready to murder two of their children and then die myself from hypothermia. They seemed more than surprised to find us all standing outside, Shaun yelling at Tyde and Sage while Laurelle walked over to us to ask if we were alright. We explained the whole locked-out situation, earning an apology and a sympathetic smile before she was rushing to unlock the van.

I'd never been more thankful to climb into a small space full of annoying kids, sighing contently as the van already started to warm up. I was the first to get in, remembering what Troye had said about making sure I sit in the backseat. Apparently that's what his siblings had been fighting over but they wouldn't get mad if I was the one to steal it. I decided to take my chances for him, climbing into the furthest back corner and looking back over to the door expectantly. Troye was the next to get in, making a face when the roof of the van messed up his hair. He fell into the seat directly next to me rather than the other side by the opposite window, making a smile form on my face subconsciously as I immediately launched myself at his side. I wrapped both arms around one of his, slipping my shoes off and bringing my feet up under me on the seat, cuddling up against him as I tried to warm up. It wasn't until the vehicle started that I pulled my phone out to pass the time or that Troye's head fell down against the top of mine, making me smile at just the thought of how cute he probably looked right now.

A few more minutes passed in silence, both of his siblings had quieted down once they put their headphones in and he hadn't said a word since his head fell against mine. I decided it was safe to assume he was asleep, nuzzling my head further into the crook of his neck and taking a deep breath. The smell of his cologne was overpowering everything else in this position, but I was nowhere near the point of complaining.

Minutes passed in a comfortable silence throughout the car. If I had to guess I'd say we were about halfway when the first person spoke up, Sage's voice ringing out.

"Can we stop here?" She asked excitedly, pointing to the coffee shop Troye and I usually stopped at, the one across from the store. Shaun looked out his window before looking back at her, giving an almost pouty look.

"Do we have to? I want to get there before all the good trees are gone."

"Dad. They have an entire lot of trees." She stated blandly. I watched Shaun's inner debate, not able to hide a smile at how difficult it seemed to be for him to choose. He was such a child at heart, it was both adorable and annoying, depending what you were trying to talk to him about.

Sage seemed to grow tired of waiting, throwing her hands up in exasperation just before we passed the drive-through. "I have to pee!"

Upon hearing that Laurelle made the choice for him, swerving the car into the parking lot and nearly sending Troye flying in the opposite direction, had I not been clinging to him so tightly. Tyde wasn't as lucky. He'd clearly been oblivious to what was going on with his headphones in, meaning he wasn't expecting the sudden turn in the slightest. I watched in amusement as his upper half flew across the seat, crashing into Sage who simply shoved him back equally as hard against his window. Laurelle had parked and Sage was already getting out before Tyde got the chance to retaliate. So with a sigh, he simply sunk back down in his seat, tucking his headphones back into his ears. 

I let my own eyes fall shut as I waited for Sage to get back, not really tired but simply enjoying the closeness to Troye. I only got to saturate in it for a few seconds though, the silent moment pierced by the sound of Laurelle calling my name, asking if I was asleep. Part of me debated if it'd be wise to tell her the truth, wondering what it was she wanted, but I also doubted it was a good idea to ignore her. She'd probably know that I was somehow, using her strange motherly powers.

"Yeah, I'm awake, Troye's not." I called softly, careful not to wake him up. Even as it was I felt him shift against me, ending up with his lips pressed to the corner of my temple. I tried not to show how much that affected me, just opening my eyes to stare straight ahead with a difficultly-achieved blank expression. After getting myself under control my eyes darted to meet with Laurelle's, going wide when I found her with a camera in hand. I made an unimpressed face, greeted by the sound of her giggling as she simply snapped another picture.

"Come on, smile." She said softly, backing away to look at me over the camera, giving a puppy-dog face of persuasion. I sighed, letting the smile I'd tried to ward off earlier find me, a blush no doubt gracing my face now that I was letting myself think about the way his lips were pressed agaist my skin. She snapped a few more pictures before telling me I could stop smiling, only to exchange a look when I found it physically impossible to wipe the grin off my face. Shaun just shook his head, turning to look out his window in a rare bid of restraint to not fangirl. 

"So, are you two dating yet?" Laurelle asked, clearly enjoying Shaun's gasp of shock that he failed to cover up with a coughing fit. I guess they must have decided not to ask about it and she went against the agreement or something. That's the only reason I could think of that he'd be so surprised about her asking something like that. 

"No, not yet." I laughed, blushing as I let my gaze fall down toward the floor. It was useless to lie to them at this point, they'd just keep pestering us until they got the answers they wanted. I much preferred they ask me on my own than when Troye was conscious next to me, that'd be even more awkward.

"Why?" She prodded, seeming genuinely surprised by my answer. I shrugged my shoulders the best I could while snuggled up to him, knowing the gesture could convey my stance on the situation better than words.

"Ask him."

"Trust me, we have. He tells us even less than you." She sighed dramatically, turning back around and settling in her seat. It took everything in me not to let my usual cackle burst out in reaction to that, knowing that even Troye couldn't sleep through something like that. I didn't have to worry about keeping control for too long though, Laurelle providing more distractions when she spoke up again, this time just locking eyes with me in the rearview mirror rather than actually turning around. "What about the dance? Are you gonna ask him?" 

"Probably not." I muttered, suddenly not feeling quite as bubbly. It was one thing talking about dating him, because I'd more or less come to the realization that that would be happening sooner or later, but the dance was different. He'd outright refused to go to the dance at all, much less with me. I can't force him to do something he doesn't want to, that'd make me selfish. Though, being selfish doesn't really sound so bad the more I think about what it'd be like to be able to parade him around as actually mine, to spend my last highschool dance with someone I actually cared about for a change.

"Why?"

"He said he wouldn't go, he can't cope with crowds." I stated, my voice completely absent of emotions. In the back of my mind I realized that no emotions was probably about as suspicous as showing the emotions I was really feeling, but it was too late to go back on it now.

"I'm pretty sure he'd cope with anything for you." Laurelle said sweetly, clearly noticing my unease and trying to comfort me. I smiled at the mirror, though I think we both realized it wasn't a completely genuine one.

"Besides, you two can dance in the corner away from everyone else. It'll be more intimate that way." I giggled at Shaun's addition, watching his dismissive hand wave like it was all just settled because of his interjection. Though, to be fair to them, I was considering it now where before I'd already decided I wouldn't be asking him. I didn't want to pressure him into anything, but they were helping me realize why it might be a good idea to. If I didn't even ask him he might never even realize I want to be able to do things like this. Even if he says no this time, maybe he'll be more open to it if I ever ask him to do things like this in the future.

"We'll see. I don't want him to feel bad about saying no if he has to." I said honestly, wondering how much he'd let something like that bother him. Knowing him he'd stress over it for ages and that was the last thing I wanted.

"You baby him too much." Laurelle scoffed, both of them turning their attention to looking out the window. I only had to wonder why for a second before the sound of the van door sliding open startled me, watching as Sage climbed in. I didn't miss the coffee and donut bag she had, making it clear that was her real intention from the start. 

She sat down in her seat from earlier and I watched in rapt fascination as Tyde reached over and pinched her, clearly not forgetting her shove earlier. However, what surprised me more was when she handed a donut to him without him even asking, making it clear she'd had her family members in mind despite how bitter she always acted toward them.

After handing out donuts to her parents she offered one to me, clearly surprised when I just shook my head. I guess even his family knows of my love for food now. She seemed puzzled, creasing her eyebrows together and turning back to her parents.

"Did I miss the Tyler interrogation? Guys! We've been planning that like all week, no fair!"

"Sage!" They both screeched, turning to lean over their seats and glare at her. She let out an angry huff, Tyde giggling next to her on the seat and making it very clear he'd also been listening in the entire time under the pretense of using his headphones. Dear God, what have I gotten myself into with this family?

"So you guys planned to invite me to the tree lot way before today?" I asked cautiously, taking in the way their eyes all darted away guiltily. Troye would kill them if he knew about this. Silence followed but my glare must have made it clear I wasn't letting them off without answering, so with a sigh Shaun finally spoke up.

"We just want to make sure you guys aren't being idiots, can you really blame us?"

"Yes. Yes, I can."

Waiting for Troye to wake up after they got out of the car was utterly unbearable. Yes, of course I loved being cuddled up to his side, but I'd never been more hyper in my life, excitement coursing through my veins the longer I was forced to keep looking at the tree lot through the windows. I wanted to experience it first hand and at this rate I was beginning to worry I wouldn't get the chance. How could he sleep so much anyway? 

I ended up sliding out of our embrace, wondering if that would be enough to wake him up. However, it wasn't, so I spent another minute on my phone. I made it through one round of a game before I ended up dying, deciding that I was incapable of doing anything other than getting out of the van right now, with or without Troye. I much preferred to be with him though, deciding to attempt waking him up. If he told me to leave him alone I'd do just that, but if he wanted to come along then I'd be more than grateful. 

I pinched his side lightly, sighing when it didn't get a reaction out of his sleeping form at all. Moving my hand up, I tweaked his nipple instead, giggling slightly as he jumped and his eyes shot open. He looked around the van almost groggily. Even in his half-asleep confused state he was gorgeous, his senses slowly coming to as he took in his surroundings. He turned to check if I was there as soon as he registered the absence of his family, a smile finding his lips as he spotted me.

"Um, are we there yet?" He laughed, a swooping sensation in my stomach at how low and gravelly his voice was. I quickly knocked myself out of it though, covering the momentary pause up by smacking the side of his head, pretending to be upset with him.

"Yes! We've been here for like five minutes! I told them I was going to wait for you to wake up but I started to worry I'd be stuck in the van the whole time." I explained, deciding as an afterthought to hit him on the shoulder, hoping it'd kick him into gear. "So, um, wake up!"

"I'm already awake, doofus. Come on, if you're that excited to get out." He laughed, clearly enjoying my childish behavior. I rolled my eyes before following his gesture and getting to my feet, awkwardly ambling past him and toward the door. I continued to ramble on about my mother's allergy, like that completely explained how crazy excited I was. That wasn't just it though, something about being here with Troye was a huge part of why it was so special. I guess just because of how domesticated it was, walking around a tree lot with our fingers intertwined and matching blushes decorating our faces. I was half annoyed with myself for thinking about how much I'd like to do this next year, possibly every year.

Well, that's what I thought, before we actually started through the sea of stupid trees. Of course I still enjoyed his company as much as before, but it put quite a damper on your mood when you realized you'd gotten you and your crush totally lost in the middle of a forest. That, and he wasn't exactly kidding about it being boring. All you could see were trees, trees, and more trees. There was nothing different about any of them, even if I liked to pretend I knew what I was talking about by calling some of them nice or complimenting how 'healthy their needles looked'. I was only doing it a foolish attempt to impess Troye, something I didn't quite understand considering he seemed even less interested in the greenery than I did. That didn't stop me from saying it though.

"Tyler, we've seen that tree thirteen times." I bit my lip, panicking slightly as he called out our repetitive walk for the first time. I'd been just waiting for him to finally realize, even repeatedly commenting on the same tree in hopes of convincing him we weren't going in circles. Of course we were, I just couldn't figure out how to stop it. I guess we could walk in one straight direction, but what if we walked all the way across the tree lot only to go to the wrong side of it.

"No, we have not. I've been keeping track of where we are with that cloud."

"Clouds move." Troye said, looking up at me with his eyebrows raised in a skeptical glare. I shrugged my shoulders, clinging to my dignity as best I could.

"So?" What I didn't predict was for him to let go of my hand, stepping ahead and gesturing for us to both make imprints in the snow. I was confused so I did as he said, only realizing after I did it what he was getting at. I groaned at the obvious evidence of the matching footprints, realizing there was no denying we'd been going in circles now. I still wouldn't admit it though, instead vowing to stay silent as Troye grabbed my hand again.

"Ugh, can we just walk in one straight direction?" He groaned, tightening his grip on my hand and trying to lead me in the opposite direction than where I wanted to go. I wasn't quite sure why but I was very passionate about my choice to go right, digging my heels into the snow before turning back the way I wanted to go.

"That's the straightest thing you've ever wanted to do." I whispered grumpily, fed up with the entire situation. I just wanted to find his family, a tree, the van, and get out of here. He didn't let me stay upset for long though, between crashing into me from behind and his mischievious giggling when he grabbed my hand with his balsam-covered one, it was impossible to stay upset with him around. Not that I really minded, I was actually quite glad. Normally I was inconsolable when I was in a bad mood, but just being near him was enough to turn my entire mood around.

I only cheered up further when I spotted Christmas lights ahead of us, speeding up and leading the way excitedly, insisting that I knew where we were going the entire time. Sure, it was a total lie, but that didn't matter. We both ducked through the fence with a bit of hesitation on his part, quickly running across the yard afterward, eager to get into the warmth of the house. I had underestimated just how cold a tree lot was by far.

My mood dropped once again when I knocked and there was no immediate answer, my knocking increasing to an obnoxious pace as the last of my hope dwindled out. We're not homefree just yet. We're going to be out in the cold for even longer, Troye reminding me that it's totally my fault we're freezing our butts off. I tried knocking one last time despite Troye's warning, reaching up and getting my wrist caught before I got the chance to follow through.

"Tyler, it's not like I can just let you have this one, it's obvious we're not getting any help here. Though if I remember right the barn where you buy the trees is right beside the house..."

"Yeah?" I asked hopefully, desperate to get out of the cold and make sure he didn't end up freezing anymore because of me. I felt incredibly guilty as it was, I didn't need anything more on my plate. "Okay, let's-"

"See! I told you guys!" I furrowed my brows, looking over at Sage in confusion.

"Told them what? That you found us? Because we found our own way out." I insisted, needing them to realize that I'd found my own way out, mostly so I didn't look any more like an idiot in front of Troye. The rest of his family walked out too, all of them looking equally as michievious as Sage, making me begin to worry.

"You also found your own way under the mistletoe." My breath hitched, heart racing as I slowly looked up to confirm her words. I swallowed nervously, already picturing all the ways this scenario could play out. "Or was that an accident?"

"It was a coincidence. What kind of sicko puts it right over their door anyway? Tons of people are going to get caught under this." Troye said, his usual skeptical personality shining through. I rolled my eyes discreetly, half disappointed by his hesitation. I'd been almost looking forward to it. Sure it wasn't how I wanted our second kiss to be exactly, but the fact was how badly I wanted a second kiss. I wanted it bad enough that I didn't care when or how it happened, just that it did.

"That's the point." Sage laughed, his entire family seemingly on cloud nine over our clueless mistake. I was willing to bet they'd even planned it somehow. Then again, it's not like I'll be upset with them if I find out they did.

"I don't know what you're expecting, but Tyler and I are not kissing just because of some stupid plant." Troye snapped harshly, crossing his arms in finality. I narrowed my eyes, almost offended by how set he was on not kissing me. What was so bad about a harmless little mistletoe kiss? Surely he could spare a peck on the lips.

My next moves were based solely on the spitefulness I felt toward him, stepping closer as I whispered the sentence I knew would pull a reaction out of him.

"Oh, we're not?" I asked with heavily amped-up disappointment, trying to get across just how sad I was while still easily being able to dismiss it as sarcasm if he thought it was weird.

"N-No?" He stuttered out, obviously nervous as I purposely let my warm breath wash over his neck, surprised by how I could visibly see the short hairs on the back of it standing up. 

"Why not? Where's the fun in that?" I teased, dropping my hand to his collarbone. I breathed over his neck one last time as I let it slide up to grip his jaw, knowing we couldn't do anything with him facing forward so strictly like this. I turned his head to face me, smiling at how he didn't resist despite his words. "You really should have more Christmas spirit, Troye Sivan."

"Oh?" He questioned, quirking his eyebrows. 

"Mmm." I purposely sucked by bottom lip between my teeth in time with his nervous blush, delighting in all the reactions I was managing to pull out of him with just a little teasing. However I still couldn't kiss him. He'd yet to make it clear he'd changed his mind and I didn't want to do it if he was actually against it. The last thing I wanted was to scare him off before I was ready. So, before he closed his eyes and made a fool of himself, I spun around and started to walk off the person's doorstep.

I made it a single step, looking up to lock eyes with his family and snickering at their ecstatic expressions. It was only when I felt Troye's hand grab my wrist with an unnerving grip that I realized what they were so happy about, stumbling as he pulled me back into the doorway. I spun around, deciding to forget about his family for now and just figure out what the hell was going on with him. I definitely wasn't expecting to find his eyes so dark with lust and determination, momentarily caught of guard as my face turned into an expression of pure confusion, silently asking for an explanation. He just shook his head slowly though, the way he prolonged the movement only making the anticipation mount higher.

I gulped as his hand moved up to grip my jaw sturdily, keeping me in place as his eyes hungrily scanned mine, possibly looking for any shred of hesitancy. I decided to assure him the old fashioned way, eyes fluttering shut and feet flexing as I stood up on my tippy-toes, heart racing as I awaited his next move. I was used to being the one to call the shots, these nervous moments of anticipation something I'd never experienced before. I couldn't decide if I liked it or not, shifting uncomfortably as the nervous butterflies in my stomach grew more and more insistent. 

I wasn't expecting it when his lips finally brushed against mine, their touch feather-light but still enough to make me go completely frigid again. Though as he started to move them, I found myself beginning to grow more comfortable again, struggling internally as I tried to convince myself to kiss him back already. He was probably beginning to worry that I wasn't enjoying it. I was, I just wasn't sure I'd be able to match his slow and soft tempo.

I didn't realize he was fighting to keep it up himself though, not until he took a step closer to me. He gripped my hip tightly as he pushed me back against the doorframe, not giving me a chance to catch my breath as his mouth started to work quicker against my own, almost getting sloppy in it's haste. It was the desirable kind of sloppy I quickly realized though, something I'd never experienced before in past kisses. It wasn't because he was a bad kisser, but because he was letting his desperation and need control his movements. He ran his hand up my chest almost clumsily, fumbling slightly and ocassionally applying random pressure. I got the feeling it wasn't really a movement intended to cause pleasure as much as him just wanting to be as close to me as possible, hands running over my body and saturating in the feeling of touching me.

I gasped slightly as his tongue darted over my bottom lip, my hand instinctively jumping for something to hold onto as I started to feel less and less grounded the longer he kissed me. I felt weak in the knees, knowing the sensation would only increase when he deepened the kiss. I wasn't wrong, feeling completely lightheaded as his tongue pushed into my mouth, meeting my own almost tentatively. I surprised myself with the breathy moan I let out over the contact, but I couldn't bring myself to regret it when it had him immediately reacting and moving his tongue against mine with more confidence. His uncertainty had apparently vanishing upon hearing the encouraging noise, judging by the way he sped the kiss up again.

I wasn't sure he was even aware of how close to me he was moving as we kissed, his hands both on my chest now keeping me pressed against the doorframe and the length of his body pressed up against mine. This wouldn't have been a problem had he not been constantly moving with the kiss, his body probably intending to back me further up against the frame. It wasn't possible though, considering I was pressed up against it to the point I could feel it digging into my back, so instead he was only really succeeding in causing all the right kinds of friction. I reached out with the intention of trying to put some space between us, gasping as he ground down against me harder, my hands instead gripping his shirt and pulling him harder against me. That managed to provoke a moan out of him, my eyes flying open at the sound and taking in his tightly-shut ones. Now that I had my eyes open and all the distractions to look at there was no way I could keep up with his desperate pace, hand landing on his chest and giving another attempt at pushing him away.

He seemed to understand this time, breaking the kiss off just as I squeezed my eyes back shut, not wanting him to see I'd already opened them and have to deal with our eyes locking in the awkward position. I waited until I'd caught my breath and he'd taken a step back before I opened my eyes again, the situation suddenly seeming more clearer now that I didn't have his tantalizing kiss completely enveloping my thoughts. Shit. Shit, his family were watching that. 

"Did I do something wrong?"  He asked immediately, my jaw clenching at how husky and breathless his voice was, practically panting the words out. God, that's hot. I looked down at the ground between us, trying not to let him see how much he was affecting me. I'd never been more thankful for wearing such a baggy sweater, knowing it covered any evidence of how much he'd actually affected me. I reached down to grip at the hem nervously, pulling it down lower on my body.

"No, your family's watching." I explained, realizing that was probably the least embarrassing excuse as to why I'd pushed him away. I wasn't about to say I literally couldn't breath or accuse him of driving his thigh into my crotch unintentionally. Hell, for all I know it could have been an intentional movement.

I watched him blink through my eyelashes before his eyes went comically wide, making it clear he'd forgotten about them in the heat of the moment as well. He sighed, turning away to look over at his family. I wasn't quite ready to see their reactions yet, staring down at Troye's platform shoes and waiting for him to react to whatever nonsense they were doing over there. I wouldn't put it past them to be bowing down worshipping the plant for getting us to kiss like that.

"No, they're not." His words confused me at first before I remembered the last thing I'd said, my head whipping up before I thought it through to look over and confirm what he'd said. I was equally as shocked as he seemed to be to find the space empty, already wondering what kind of evil trick this was. Surely they had some alternative motive. Or was it possible they'd just decided to give us our privacy?

Nah, let's be realistic here.

"Oh." I answered simply, unsure of what else to say. I was only left even more speechless as he took a step closer again, lifting his arm to brace against the door-frame above my head. I looked up at him curiously, judging the small space between our lips and considering just how little it'd take to close the distance. 

Did I really want to kiss him again? Well, obviously, that was a stupid question. What I meant was if I was okay with the consequences of kissing him again. There was nothing asking us to kiss a second time, there'd be no excuses, it'd be crossing that line I'd mentioned earlier without a doubt. It'd be bidding the line goodbye forever, wouldn't it? I think so, just judging by the look he has on his face. The hesitancy, the adrenaline... the love. 

"Can I kiss you again then?" I looked away from his eyes, my cheeks heating up as I continued to bite my lip, the last shreds of doubt fading away the more I thought about how hopeful his tone had sounded. He really wanted this, we're really doing this.

"If you want." I whispered, putting the next move in his hands once again, smiling shyly as my eyes flickered back up to his. He held my gaze for a moment with a deadly serious expression on his features, one that faded to an excited grin just before his hand not above my head grabbed my hip, pushing my back against the door-frame again. He still had that grin on as he leaned in, pausing just before our mouths met.

"I do, trust me." I searched his eyes for a moment longer, content to find all the sincerity and emotion pooling in them. I gave him another answering smile, albeit a lot smaller than his given how nervous I was, before letting my eyes fall shut. He didn't hesitate to capture my lips in his kiss this time, immediately going for the speed we'd worked up to before. My hands hovered uselessly by my sides at first before I fully relaxed, settling them on his shoulders and happily clasping my fingers together on the back of his neck. He didn't really ask to introduce tongue this time, both of our tongues meeting midway and trying to assert dominance over each other. He just pinched my hip though, making it clear it wasn't going to happen. He didn't hesitate before licking into my mouth and exploring as if for the first time, slow and thoroughly while still keeping it fast-paced enough that I had to pay attention to keep up.

His hand above me moved down to rest on my other hip, gripping it tight enough that I could feel where each of his fingers were digging into my sides. I didn't realize his motives behind it until he was following through, breaking the kiss off for just a second before hoisting me up. I was confused, squirming a bit in his grip and leaning back against the door for balance.

"Wrap your legs around my hips." He panted, careening his neck further to kiss mine, my breath hitching as he lashed his tongue over the shallow concave under my jaw. He paused afterward, giving me a second to come back to reality and listen to his command, my legs wrapping around his torso and pulling him closer to me. He stumble a bit, using one hand to brace me against him as the other ended up against the door beside my head. He started to kiss at my neck again, sucking lightly at first before getting more daring with time, nipping at the sensitive skin and causing me to throw my head back to give him easier access. He chuckled at my body's reaction, pecking the spot gently before backing off. I lifted my head in confusion, only to have him immediately crash our lips together again. My moan was muffled against his lips, but I was sure he could tell by the vibrations. 

I wasn't sure how long the kiss lasted but I did know the tips of my toes were beginning to go numb over the position by the time he finally pulled away, both of us panting heavily. My head fell to rest against his shoulder, eyes falling shut as I struggled to catch my breath. I could feel myself slowly slipping from his hips, impressed he'd managed to hold me up this long even with the support of the door. Deciding to give him a break I loosened my grip, sliding off gently and wincing slightly at the unwanted friction on the way. Again, I am way too easily excited. However, I didn't feel quite as bad when he moaned quietly in response, reminding me I wasn't the only one that had to worry about things like this. In fact, if that flour fight was any evidence, he might even have it worse than me.

It took me a minute to get my balance once I hit the ground, my fingers digging into his shoulders to keep myself from falling over. Once I did however I let my hands move down to his hips instead, arms wrapping around his torso as I hugged him to me, nuzzling my face into his chest. We'd hugged tons of times before, but this was different. Well, maybe it wasn't the hug itself so much as what we'd done just before it.

"Wow." Troye was the first to speak up, his tone one of awe. I smiled into his chest at the breathless wonder in his voice, knowing mine would probably match when I spoke up.

"You can say that again." I muttered against his sweater, a stupid smile on my face that only seemed to grow more and more with each passing second. What does this mean for us? Are we dating? Should we talk about it?

"Wow." He repeated, confusing me again before I remembered what I'd said. I groaned, earning a giggle from him as he'd clearly been hoping for that sort of reaction. I lifted my head, our eyes locking immediately. His were slightly hazy, brightening up when they found mine.

"You're a fucking idiot." I said simply, my hand moving up to cup his cheek, running my thumb over the flushed skin. He smirked slightly as I tousled his hair, noticing all the snowflakes that had started to gather in it.

"You seem to have a thing for idiots." He observed, wiggling his eyebrows when my eyes darted back to his. I rolled my eyes, kicking his foot with mine before thinking better of it and moving to stand on both of them. At this height I didn't even have to stretch to peck our lips together, knowing I'd never get used to being able to do that whenever finally.

"Not until I met you." I said honestly, both expecting and anticipating his answering scoff and the way his eyes shyly darted away. I guess that was probably the closest either of us had come to vocally confessing our feelings to each other, he had every reason to be blushy over it. However, I didn't give him long to bask in the moment, realizing just how awkward the situation was as I caught a glimpse of a family making their way through the tree lot not ten feet away. "We should probably get off this stranger's porch." I muttered, thinking about how embarrassing it could have been had the house's owner came home early.

"Shame, I have such good memories here." I groaned at Troye's joke, though secretly ecstatic about how happy he seemed. It was definitely one of the best moods I'd ever saw him in, practically glowing as he reached for my hand, eagerly winding his fingers between mine and squeezing. "Are you gonna get us lost again?"

"Shut-up." I snapped, though I couldn't even begin to make the grumpy response sound convincing. Hell, halfway through the two-worded sentence I'd broken out into another smile, sighing contently when he leaned over to peck me on the cheek. 

It might have been weird how quickly the kissing aspects of our relationship seemed to be coming to us, before we'd even put a label on what it was really, but it had been so long coming it made sense we were so casual with it. We'd waited long enough putting up with the unsure of each other's feelings stage, it was an easy and desirable transition to this instead.

"Why do you think they left?" Troye asked, not even needing to elaborate his words before I knew what he was talking about. I'd been debating it myself the entire walk so far. His family would not give up the oppurtunity to see us making out just like that, would they?

"They're plotting something, just what I'm not sure of yet." I said dramatically, using my free hand to reach up and stroke at my imaginary beard. He giggled at my childish sense of humor, obviously so bubbly he'd laugh at anything at this point. "Seriously though, I'm worried."

"Probably reasonable. I bet they even paid the old lady to hang the mistletoe. Maybe she was filming us through the window and that's why they didn't have to stay and watch, because they'd get the footage later."

"Don't say that!" I laughed, already cringing as I thought about it. Can you imagine how awkward and creepy that'd be? That level of creepy family might just be a deal breaker. He simply laughed next to me, swinging our interlocked hands between us before lifting his other, pointing ahead of us.

"There's the van!" He said excitedly, tugging me forward. I followed behind him, suddenly feeling a little bashful as we approached. Surely they didn't leave before it even happened, they must know that we kissed. Would they act different around me now? Well, as far as I know Shaun may still think I took his son's virginity in a changing stall thanks to Sage, it might not be that bad facing them after this. Maybe they'd only tease us a little bit, I'm sure I could live through it.

However, what I hadn't been expecting, was for them to do absolutely nothing at all. Troye and I came to a stop beside the van and watched his parents work on strapping the tree on the roof, his siblings standing aside and playing on their phones. None of them even looked up to greet us, my nerves mounting the longer the moment prolonged in silent tension. 

I subconsciously leaned closer to Troye, snuggling into his side as he let go of my hand and wrapped his arm around me instead. It was warmer huddled up to him, but it didn't really relax me any. It only got worse as they finished up with the tree, coming to stand in front of us and look around the group.

"Well, time to go, kids. Everyone pile in!" Shaun said cheerily, gesturing to the door before turning to head toward his own. I made it half a step before Troye's voice had me freezing in spot, turning to watch him interact with his parents.

"You're not gonna say anything?" He asked cautiously, looking back and forth between both his parents, even looking over at Sage and Tyde for a second. None of them outwardly reacted though, Laurelle just tilting her head to the side and looking at him incredulously.

"Say anything about what? Was there something you wanted to talk about?" 

"No!" Troye shouted immediately, all of their eyebrows shooting up over just how passionate his answer was. He blushed, quickly moving to explain himself. "No, I just thought there might be something that, you know, you were going to bring up."

"Is it about the tree? Do you not like it?" Shaun asked, looking panicky as he glanced back up at the monstrous greenery strapped to the roof. Troye sighed, shaking his head before moving to open the door for me.

"Nevermind." He muttered, getting in ahead of me this time. We both climbed into the backseat while everyone else took the same seats as earlier, nobody even glancing back at us before they started the car and took off. We drove in an eery silence, Troye and I sitting rigid in our seats and occasionally exchanging confused glances in each other's directions.

"Guys, what are you doing?" Troye sighed out finally, breaking the utter silence of the vehicle. Laurelle glanced up to lock eyes with him in the rearview mirror before looking back to the road. She waited a couple seconds as if trying to decide what to reply with, ultimately shrugging her thin shoulders before speaking up.

"Giving you privacy. Is that not what you wanted?"

"Well, yes, but it's... It's weird." Troye explained next to me, putting my thoughts on the matter into words probably better than I could have. More silence followed, lasting so long I was beginning to doubt she'd reply at all, when she cleared her throat at a stop sign, turning in her seat to look back at us.

"So, what you're really saying, is that you like our meddling?" She pried, eyes alight with mischief as she grinned devilishly back at Troye. His eyes went wide, hands thrown up in defense.

"That is so not what I said." He laughed, the noise fading out awkwardly when it was met by more silence. She averted her attention back to the road, as if the conversation had been confirmed ajorned. I bit my lip at the tension again, tapping my foot nervously. Much to my relief Troye spoke up again, asking if the radio could be turned on. They listened, Shaun reaching over to turn the knob before settling back in his seat.

A smile found my lips despite the awkward situation as my favorite Christmas song by Mariah Carey started through the speakers, nearly at the very beginning so I hadn't missed much of it. Unbeknownst to myself I started to sway to the beat, humming softly as I turned to look out the window. However, my attention was drawn back to the people in the car when Laurelle started to sing along softly. I didn't think much of it, before Shaun followed her lead. Troye started to shift uncomfortably next to me as even Sage and Tyde joined in.

I was confused as could be, eyebrows furrowed together as I looked around at them. However when they all turned around in unison on the line that mentioned mistletoe, wiggling their eyebrows at the two of us, things started to make sense. I giggled, Troye blushing as red as a beet next to me.

Deciding to join in with their antics rather than fight them for a change I started to sing as well, leaning obnoxiously against Troye's side in an attempt to get him to join. He just shook his head though, smiling to himself as he turned to look out his window, likely trying to hide his positive reaction.

We got louder and goofier as the song progressed, practically belting on the lyrics near the end. None of us were in tune or even good singers to begin with, but it was genuinely fun embracing the goofy trait of his family for a change. Even he seemed to be enjoying it, although he looked a bit embarrassed. I was half sad to see the song end, surprised when they all dropped off and left me singing on my own. They all turned to face me again, minus Laurelle who was currently forcing her attention to the road considering the snow had begun to pick up. The ones looking at me, however, were all very persistent, staring at me with eager expectant little eyes. Cluing in to what they were waiting for, I rolled my eyes, reaching up to grip Troye's jaw and force him to look at me. I worked harder at actually sounding decent now that I was the only one singing, feeling slightly nervous as I sang the repeated finishing line.

"All I want for Christmas is you, baby!" I giggled as the song ended, leaning closer to Troye with the intention of leaning my head on his shoulder, surprised when he instead ducked his head to peck his lips against mine ever-so-quickly. It was like he had a hope of doing it without his family members noticing. However, if he did, it was likely immediately crushed, the only sound to be heard as he pulled away being the chorus of 'aws' and whistles they all contributed to. I don't think I've ever backed out of a kiss quicker, blushing all over as we both turned to stare out opposite windows, the rest of the car giggling at our reactions.

A/n: Hello sluts, it's been a couple days, huh? Woops. Anyway, I gotta make this quick because people are riotiing. This chapter is dedicated to the lovely Emmy @itsonmymind because we both decided to simultaneously updated to fuck you all up the ass with feelings. Thank us later. Okay, rad, I think that's all