Farren kept walking, even when he heard the sound of footsteps hitting the dry pavement as someone ran after him.

And he really hoped that someone wasn't Kaden and he really hoped it was. And he was too afraid to look incase it was Kaden and he was too afraid to look incase it wasn't.

He focused all his attention on the pavement beneath his feet, not knowing where he was going but knowing that he needed to be as far from that party as possible.

"Farren." The person called, and it was then he knew it was in fact Kaden.

He felt both anger and relief. He was mad, but he didn't have the right to be mad. It had been his suggestion, not Kaden's, that they be non exclusive.

So he just kept walking, quickening his pace to the point where he wasn't quite jogging, but walking with purpose.

The footsteps got louder and closer.

"Farren, stop will you? Where are you even going."

Farren ignored him.

"Farren!" Kaden shouted, grabbing him by the shoulder and spinning him around until they were face to face.

"What?" Farren spat out, staring Kaden square in the eye.

Even though he didn't have the right to be mad, it didn't mean that he wasn't. Jealousy fueled anger.

"Why did you just leave?" Kaden huffed back, but Farren could see the slight guilt in his eyes.

"Did you honestly just fucking ask me that?" Farren growled angrily, not backing down even when he saw Kaden flinch.

"Yes." Kaden replied, squaring up to Farren with his head held high. "And I want an answer. A fucking honest answer Farren."

Farren wasn't scared. He was terrified. He wasn't good with all this sorta stuff, all these feelings and shit.

It was so much easier when he was just Farren the Womaniser, when he he didn't have to deal with leaping hearts and weak knees.

"You already know the answer Kaden." Farren shot back exasperatedly, running a tense hand through his hair.

Because he couldn't say it. It was easier to deflect than to openly admit how you felt. It was the fear of rejection, of embarrassment. Even though he was pretty sure at this stage that Kaden knew full well how Farren felt about him, it didn't make saying it any easier.

"I want to hear you say it." Kaden replied, his voice soft.

Kaden really wasn't making this easy for him.

"Because I was fucking jealous Kaden. That a good enough answer for you?" He fired back weakly, losing his will to fight.

"Why Farren? Why were you jealous? Tell me. I want to hear you say it." Kaden persisted angrily, and Farren felt a surge of anger run through him.

"Because I like you Kaden! Hell, I more than like you!" He shouted, tugging at his hair in anger. "I really like you, as in I want to date you. I want you to be mine, not Lee's, not anyone else's."

"Well all you have to do is ask." Kaden spoke softly, minimising the tension from Farren's loud tone.

Farren decided to just do it. Because sometimes you have to put yourself first, even if by putting yourself first you're also pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. Here goes fucking nothing.

Farren straightened up, looking Kaden square in the eye. "Kaden something Rivers, will you be my boyfriend?"

Kaden's face broke out into an instant grin, and Farren felt his own frown dissipate until his expression matched Kaden's.

"Kaden something Rivers?"

"I forget your middle name. Can I get an answer?"

"I didn't hear a please," Kaden sang jokingly and Farren rolled his eyes, unable to push down his smile.

"Well tough. Answer the fucking question," he joked back.

"What was it again?"

"Oh shut up."

"Yes."

"Yes you'll shut up?"

"No, yes I'll be your boyfriend." Kaden said with a smile, and Farren felt his insides turn to mush as Kaden snaked his arms around his neck and pulled him in for a kiss.

Farren felt his knees go weak at the feeling of Kaden's lips against his own. They pulled away, and rested their foreheads together.

Farren wrapped his arms around Kaden's waist and pulled him in again, but this time for a hug.

The rested there for a while, heads buried in the crooks of each other's necks.

"Let's go home." Farren whispered in Kaden's ear, and Kaden nodded in agreement before taking Farren's hand.

And they strolled off into the night hand in hand, and in that moment everything was perfect.

When they arrived back at Kaden's house half an hour later, they went straight up to bed.

Farren found himself wanting to feel as close to Kaden as possible, and so they shared a bed that night again.

But they didn't do a whole load of sleeping this time.

(Winks suggestively;))

XXXXX

"Are we sure we want to do this." Farren whined, and Kaden rolled his eyes with a laugh.

"Yes, Farren." He said as he pulled a tight fitting t-shirt over his head. It was Saturday morning, and Farren and Kaden had agreed last night that it was time they told Luke and Jesse of their relationship.

"Kadenn." Farren drawled with a whinge, making no movie to rise himself up from the bed where he lay tangled up on the sheets.

"Farrenn." Kaden mocked in reply, laughing at the other boy.

"I'm too lazy. Can't we just stay in bed for a little while longer?"

"You don't even need to sleep!" Kaden replied with an incredulous laugh.

"Who said anything about sleeping?" Farren said with a suggestive wink, and Kaden fought to hold back a blush as memories of last night's.. antics came back to him.

"Promising as that sounds, I'm adamant about this. We agreed last night we would tell them today."

"That's different, I was caught up in the heat of passion." Farren said, sounding like a little boy who's parents had broken a promise to.

Kaden turned slowly to face Farren, fighting to hold back a burst of laughter. "Did you honestly just say 'the heat of passion'?" He asked with his eyebrows raised.

"Oh shut up." Farren muttered in reply, the blush on his face betraying his embarrassment.

Kaden snickered in reply, "what are we, in a Shakespearean drama?"

"I'm seriously regretting asking you to me my boyfriend," Farren huffed, slowly getting out of bed.

"Alas, me too. I don't think I can bring myself to date someone who speaks like he's in a Destiny's Child song."

Farren just gave him the middle finger in reply, as he walked to the bathroom- dragging his feet exaggeratedly as he went.

Kaden laughed in reply, jokingly blowing Farren a kiss.

Every time he called Farren his boyfriend, it was like his heart starting racing again. And after they 'sealed the deal' last night, as some would say, he honestly couldn't be happier.

***

Kaden rapped three times on the door of Luke's house, before Luke himself appeared at the door.

"Hey Kaden, hey Farren." Said Luke with a smile, opening the door wider and allowing them to come in.

"Hey Luke," Farren said with a smile.

"C'mon let's go to your room. Is Jesse inside?" Kaden asked as he barged past the two boys, never being one for the manners.

"Oh Kaden, as welcoming as always. And no, Jesse's out the back. What was it you needed to talk to us about? Your text was kinda cryptic." Luke rambled on, but Kaden ignored him as he headed out the back where Jesse was sat at the picnic table, tapping away at the screen of his phone,

"Hey," said Kaden, and Jesse looked up from the iPhone in his hand.

"Oh hey there Kaden. Is Farren with you? Luke mentioned something about you wanting to talk to us or something?"

"Yeah I'm here," Farren's voice called from behind Kaden before he had the chance to reply.

"Unfortunately so." Kaden drawled with a smirk as he dropped onto the bench, sitting across from Jesse and leaving space next to himself for Farren to sit.

A moment after Farren sat down, Luke appeared from the back sliding door, Doritos and Coca Cola in his arms.

He sat into the bench beside Jesse, and looked up at Kaden expectantly. "What was it you wanted to talk to us about?"

Kaden could feel Farren tense up nervously from beside him, and reached his hand out to grip the other boy's. He gave Farren's hand a light squeeze and a reassuring smile before muttering "we don't have to do this if you're not ready."

Farren brought his green eyes up to meet Kaden's, and he had a new found determination dancing across them. "I'm ready."

Kaden gave Farren one last smile before turning to face Luke and Jesse. Jesse had a knowing smirk on his face and Kaden realised that he must be more aware of him and Farren's relationship that he thought. Jesse always did seem like a smart one.

"Thing is, me and Farren here, were sorta.. dating?"

The two stayed silent for a moment, before Jesse burst out in laughter and Luke's face dropped glumly.

"Knew it! Hand over the twenty bucks." Jesse said with a fist pump, turning to face Luke with a triumphant smile.

"Shit. Fuck you two." Luke grumbled, reaching into his pocket and fishing around until he produced a couple of scrunched up notes and a handful of coins. "Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for you and all. But your relationship just cost me twenty dollars." He said, his facial expression somewhere between a smile and a pout.

"Why does it not even surprise me that you two put a bet on us?" Farren grumbled weakly from beside Kaden, who laughed in agreement.

"Because, we're geniuses." Jesse said, as he counted out the money in his palm. "Well except for maybe Luke here, who seems to believe that $17.50 equates to $20. You're not getting off with a single penny." He said, turning to face Luke at the end of the sentence.

As those two bickered back and forth about loose change and the importance of two dollars fifty, Kaden turned to face Farren with a warm smile. "Hey, I'm proud of you." He said quietly, offering Farren a warm smile.

"I'm proud of us." Farren said with a smile, and Kaden felt his heart leap in his chest.

"Me too."

XXXXX

Sooo, chapter 23? It's mad how fast this is going!!

Hope y'all enjoyed!! Vote, comment, follow!

Qotc; Are you a Harry Potter fan?

Aotc; Yesss!!

Love you <3

-A