"Aw, would you look at that smile!"

Flynn is grinning at the end of the hallway, waiting for me to finish kicking off my shoes and hanging up my coat. My cheeks turn pink again, but I believe I hide it very well. 

"I don't think this is because of Oliver's brother," Eliot agrees. I keep my gaze on the floor as I walk past them, or they would betray me very surely. 

"Jeez, I'm starving." I shift the topic, looking around the kitchen for something to eat. The TV is playing some romcom, which Flynn and Eliot were probably watching before I got home. "How's the movie?"

"Incredible," Eliot says, before shutting the device off. He walks towards me, so I take a step back, but bump into Flynn.

Fuck, they've cornered me. What kind of murder scene is this?

"How was your date?" my best friend hints. I gulp, knowing damn well that's what he wants to know. I knew it from the second I walked inside. 

"It wasn't a date," I mumble. I try to turn around, to create a possibility of escaping, but Eliot stops me. 

"Sure, then why are your lips swollen?" he taunts. My cheeks go from pink to red. "I think I'm allergic to something?"

Flynn scoffs. "To Alex' lips, hm?"

I glance at him, attempting to keep a straight face. "Is that a crime?"

Two gasps sound through the kitchen. "You kissed Alexander?! Tell us everything!"

I cough. "Technically, he kissed me." 

Flynn waves that away, nearly jumping up and down in excitement. "Tell us! Every damn detail!"

There's no other way to escape. 

"He kissed me, there's not much to tell." I shrug. And if my damn cheeks would stop blushing every time I think about Alex' lips on mine, it would be very helpful, thank you. 

Being the dramatic ass, like always, Flynn drops to the floor of the kitchen. His hand is on his face, as if he died. Except that he kicks Eliot's shin, resulting in the French guy dropping to the floor too. "Ow!"

"Shut up, idiot, we died from starvation," Flynn tells him. Eliot doesn't get the hint and sits up, frowning. "But we ate an hour ago—" "Not food starvation, detail starvation!"

"Oh!" Eliot drops on the floor again, playing his role well now. I tip toe around them and leave to sit on the couch. They follow me like lost puppies. "Please, Jake? I'll do the dishes for a week! I just want a love story!"

"So watch a Hugh Grant movie," I shrug. With a dropped jaw, Flynn flips me off. "I want yours, idiot! I've manifested for you two from the fucking beginning!"

"Eh," Eliot shrugs. "Not quite. You kind of shook him completely in the hopes of the idea of meeting up with Alex would fall out of his head."

Flynn turns to glare at him. "You weren't even there!"

"You're not the only one who gets to hear about what Jake goes through in a day."

Now Flynn is scowling at me. I shrug, keeping myself busy with the bag of chips in my hands. Eliot and Flynn start to bicker, so I'm saved from having to spill my experience. Problem solved. 

"Nah uh uh," Flynn warns when I try to sneak off. "Details. I need them to survive!"

"Don't be dramatic," I tell him. "As if you told me about Dante."

Shock colors his face. He's frozen for a second before he takes a step back, raising his hands in surrender. "Hey, ho, what do you mean? There's nothing going on between—"

"'Oh fuck, Dante, deeper'," Eliot mocks Flynn's voice. I grin, enjoying the sight of a pale Flynn. Now he finally knows what it's like to be interrogated.

"N-no, none of you were home," he whispers. "You weren't supposed to know."

"We were in my room, studying, when we heard the front door slam closed. Eliot took a look, saw the two of you kissing and making your way to your bedroom, and the rest is history!" I pat the spot next to me on the couch. He looks like he needs to sit down, the poor guy.

He's white as a ghost and looks nauseous. "I think I'm gonna throw up."

"Now, now," Eliot shakes his head, grabbing Flynn's shoulders and steering him towards me. I pull our sick friend down on the couch. 

He pulls up his legs and wraps his arms around them, looking horrified. "You can't—he's not even—don't tell—"

"We won't tell anyone," I assure him. He looks terrible. "It'll be our secret. We won't even bring it up to Dante, it'll be like we never talked about it, okay?"

That relieves him. "He's—his dad's really homophobic, and I'm not even gay," he whispers then. "I've always liked girls, but there's something about Dante that draws me to him. Other boys don't do it for me. Am I gay, Jake?"

He looks so torn by the possibility of him being gay that I pull him in a hug. "I can't tell you, Flynn. But if you've actually liked girls in the past, then I don't think you're a one-hundred percent gay, no. You could be bi, or pan, or—" "Pan, just like you?"

I nod. "Keep me away from the kitchen, hm?"

He grins a little again. "Right."

The bell rings. I look at my friends, curious about who's coming tonight. Neither said anything to me about having a friend, or in Flynn's case a friend, over. 

Their confusion is clear too. Sighing, I get up and push Eliot down next to Flynn on the couch. "I'll go. You'll make sure Flynn doesn't get sick, yes?"

"Fine," he grumbles, but he wraps an arms around Flynn's shoulders and pulls him in close. "My little baby."

Shaking my head, I walk to the front door. It has started to rain somewhere in between the moment I got home and now. I can barely look through the window next to the front door, it's completely wet and not at all functioning like a window anymore. 

Who could it be? No one ordered any take out, and none of us expect anyone. 

Almost as if being an invisible hand, panic grabs my throat. What if it's Alex, who got bullied again? What if it's Dante, asking us if Alex is here?

I open the door, being careful so my hallway doesn't get wet. I almost choke on my air when I see it is Alex, in a yellow rain jacket. "W-what's going on? Did something happen?"

He takes a huge step closer, finally allowing me to see his face. Raindrops are splattered all over his face, but he's grinning none the less. And when I say grinning, I mean a wide, toothy grin. He even has dimples. 

My rapid heartbeat slows down a little when I realize he's not in any danger or got bullied again. He's just here for (probably, it's Alex) some stupid reason. 

"I just wanted a goodnight kiss!"

"You came here in this weather for a goodnight kiss?" 

"Yes!"

Ah, fuck me. He's way too cute, standing here in my doorway, soaking wet and begging me for one last kiss. 

"Come here," I sigh. Instead of listening to me (for one damn time!), he pulls me out of the door and in the drenching rain. I'm completely wet in a couple of seconds, but Alex ignores that and captures my lips with his. 

"Mhmmmhm," I try to protest. I don't really know what the translation of it is. It could go from 'Alex, no!' to 'Pull me closer!'. To be honest, it's probably the latter. 

"Very well said," he agrees, and I can feel his grin against my lips. Before I can tell him to shut up, his hands land on my hips and grab them, leaving me speechless. 

"You're getting soaked, sweetheart," he breathes, blue eyes meeting mine. I send him a glare, though I'm not mad about it at all. "And whose fault is that?"

He gives a shrug, looking way too happy about what he did. "I wouldn't know. Your boyfriend's?"

Did he just—

He pushes my dropped jaw closed again. "We don't want your mouth flooding, hm?"

"Shut up."

"Make me."

"I am not doing this."

"Now your boyfriend is going to be sad! You're mean!"

I wiggle my finger in front of my face. "Nope. I don't have a boyfriend, and since you're my friend, I think you can handle it."

His eyes narrow as he takes another step closer. Gulping, I take one back, but he has somehow moved me to the wall next to the doorway, so there's no escape. All I have is the cold wall against my soaked shirt, and Alex' body heat against my chest.

"We went about this once already today, Jake. Do I need to repeat myself?"

I quickly shake my head. Fuck, he's intimidating up close. 

"You're my boyfriend now," he decides. I shake my head again, crossing my arms over my chest. He might be scary, but I'm not stepping down on this. "You have to ask me to be your boyfriend, you unromantic idiot."

"I'm the unromantic one when you just insulted me?"

"Absolutely."

He sighs. Looks away. When his eyes meet mine again, they're softer. "Fine. Jake, will you please be my boyfriend?"

A squeal sounds next to me. I almost didn't hear it over the sound of the pouring rain, but when I look at the side, there they are. My nosy friends. Flynn and Eliot, but also Dante in a matching rain jacket. They're all stomping their feet on the floor, almost giggling like little girls as they watch us. 

I motion with my hand, wanting them to shoo. "Go."

"No," Flynn pouts. 

"C'est fou, ça!" Eliot agrees. 

"Alex promised me I could come!" Dante nods. 

I turn back to see Alex still staring at me, gaze full of intensity. He looks like he couldn't care less about our spectators. He just wants an answer on his question. 

Hm. I wrap my arms around his neck, spin us around and make sure we're hidden in an alcove of the house. There, I peck his lips. He has a dazed smile playing around them, as if he's distracted by something that makes him happy. 

"Yes," I whisper. "Of course I want to be your boyfriend."

He hugs me tighter, all intimidation gone. It's like with those nine words, I've switched a button. He went from being all tough to being sensitive, right in my arms. 

"Finally," he sighs."It's taken us so long."

That makes me laugh. It definitely has. 

"Five damn years," he groans, keeping his arms around me, not unlike a blanket. I like this blanket more than the pre-heated one in my bed. 

Hm, maybe I can persuade him in sleeping over tonight and have my blanket to a good use. . .

"Definitely not," Dante shakes his head. I startle. There's no way he came up this silently just to spook us. Maybe it was the pouring rain the drowned the sound of him running towards us out. 

To be fair, it probably was me being swallowed up in Alex' being. 

"We have to go home, Alex," Dante warns, seeing the sorrowful expression on my boyfriend's face. My boyfriend!

"But—" "I don't care, we have things to fix. Coach will be pissed if we get home any later."

Alex' shoulders sag. I give him a last hug before kissing his cheek. "I'll see you Sunday, okay? Call me if you need anything."

Sad eyes meet mine. I think it's pretty cute how he starts pouting at the thought of not seeing me for a few days. If only I could just snap a picture and keep it forever.  

"What if I need you?"

Okay, one more hug. But this is really the last one!

"Just call, okay? Whatever, just call anyway, I can cheer you up through the phone!"

Now he looks a little happier. Dante is dragging him away by his sleeve, but he's struggling against the hold. "Phone sex tonight?"

And there goes our cute moment. Cupping my own cheeks to hide my blush, I tell him to shut up. "No! Now go!"

"Alright," he laughs, and puts Dante out of his misery by turning around and walking normally. I run back inside, where Eliot and Flynn are. They're two grinning idiots, but I ignore them and wave Alex and Dante bye as their car passes. 

"And?" Flynn almost giggles. He looks like a kid waiting for the huge present he saw underneath the Christmas tree. 

"Boyfriends?" Eliot grins. I don't say anything, but the redness of my face betrays me. (Again!)

They start shouting and cheering, jumping up and down in excitement. I slap Flynn's arm, but he pointedly ignores me and goes on celebrating this news. "Shut up!"

"I'm not saying anything!"

Eliot stops jumping with wide eyes. He stops Flynn too and whispers something in his ear, out of my reach. I frown, suspicious of this. There's no way that was not about me. "What?"

My French friend smiles and turns around, leaving to the kitchen. I walk after him, my soaking socks squishing against the tile floor and my best friend dropping to the floor out of laughter. "Eliot! What was that about?"

He grins. "Hm? Nothing. I just told Flynn I think we need to get you a present to celebrate this!"

Tell me why I don't think I'll enjoy this present?