College Daze

4

The boys slipped away from the campus together and headed down the street, laughing amongst themselves as they reminisced the drunken mishaps at the college celebration they'd just ditched and passing Irwin's bottle of booze between them.

"So," Barry glanced over at Irwin, "where are you taking me?" A chuckle escaped his lips as he could imagine where this blonde-haired beauty would whisk him off to.

Irwin quickly fixed his hair, noticing Barry's eyes on him. "There's a uh - a beach down this way. It's beautiful this time of year." He passed Barry back the bottle, feeling his hands grow sweaty and fearing he might drop it in a stupor.

"Quiet too, I hope..." Barry's voice trailed when his hand grazed Irwin's while they walked. His chest tightened as his heart pounded softly against its cage. 'Keep it together, Barry. You're cool. Everything's cool.' He hung his head lightly from his shoulders, hoping the boy beside him wouldn't notice the red hue resting on his cheeks.

Irwin felt it too... a spark that ignited a fire within him as Barry's hand grazed his. His eyes locked on the figure that strolled alongside him. He nearly tripped, when Barry's arm flew out to catch his own.

Their eyes locked in that moment and they stood there frozen, Barry's hand still gripped onto Irwin's forearm. Irwin's eyes practically shouted his humiliation - for gods sake he'd nearly made a fool of himself in front of this beautiful stranger. However, his shock subsided as the warmth from Barry's lustrous eyes melted into his skin. Their faces flooded with a heatwave neither of them could escape.

'My god, what is happening to me?' Irwin steadied himself before Barry, his heart pounding wildly in his chest. He looked down at his shirt, as if to make sure the thrashing in his chest wasn't noticeable. To his relief, it wasn't. "I'm so sorry, I -"

"Are you okay?" Barry's sapphire eyes studied Irwin's reddened face, as his hand slid down the blonde's arm and gently embraced the hand it led to.

Irwin wasn't sure. He had no fucking idea what was happening right now. Had he really had that much to drink? He couldn't decipher the situation before him, he just knew it had to go on. Finally, he spoke up. "Oh - yeah. I think I'm alright." He swallowed hard. " The beach is right through here, he pointed, and clasped Barry's hand more tightly in his as he led him off.

The boys kicked off their shoes as they reached the sandy shoreline, and walked quietly towards the water - their fingers still intertwined.

"Do you want to go in?" Irwin asked, waves lapping softly across his feet as they walked along the water.

"We could, but I'm really enjoying this walk." Barry's lips parted into a smile as he stole a glance at Irwin under the moonlight.

Irwin's cheeks grew warm once more. His muscles moved subconsciously to gently squeeze Barry's hand. "Me too."

They carried on walking for a while, still swigging from the bottle of booze. As time went on they wandered deeper into their shared conversation. Deeper into each other's hearts. Deeper into their intoxications. Alcoholic and otherwise.

Eventually, they'd come to a bit of beach that was split by a tributary. They collapsed into the sand where the river met the sea, and leaned into each other.

"That was a wonderful walk." Irwin studied the face looking back at him, hoping to discover the answers to what he was feeling.

Barry tensed slightly feeling Irwin's breathe breezing over his cheeks. He watched Irwin's bronze eyes glisten by the soft light reflected by the sea.

He tried to calm the rampant beating in his chest, as he picked up his hand and rested it gently on Irwin's well-defined face. "I couldn't have asked for better company."

The sound of waves surging the powdery shore seemed to sync the beating of both of their hearts.

Irwin caught himself leaning forward, & straightened his posture. "Hey Barry, listen..." His eyes fell, "I've never done this before." a lump snagged in his throat.

Barry couldn't help but feel a little stunned. "You've never kissed anyone before? I-" He went to pull his hand from Irwin's face, when without warning, Irwin's hand moved atop his and pressed it more firmly against his warming cheek.

A shy smile formed on Irwin's face and he laughed softly, "I've kissed people, you idiot. I've just never kissed a-" he examined the locks of auburn hair falling into Barry's face, noticing the way the color complimented his bright eyes. "I've never kissed a guy before." A weight lifted from his shoulders when the words finally rolled off his tongue.

Silence hung between them for what felt like an eternity. They sat still, staring passionately into one another's eyes. It was as if they were both waiting for the other's first move. They were seemingly at a stalemate.

Suddenly, Barry shifted towards Irwin and practically slammed his lips onto his.

Fireworks went off in Irwin's heart, and his body turned to static. 'Holy shit!' he'd never expected a kiss could feel this way. He was worried he might go limp in Barry's hands, and tried to fight his urges to escape. Thoughts flooded his head, but he couldn't concentrate well enough to even comprehend them fully. The sensation of Barry's lips on his took enveloped his senses, & he chose to get swept away in the waves.