Crush

Nick

Oliver

Nick was nice to look at.

I sat across the table from him, watching him while he studied the menu, the same thought going around in my head. He was wearing a tight black shirt and black jeans, showing off his athletic physique. I took a deep breath and carried on admiring the view, trying my best to remember to glance away occasionally so as not to get caught staring.

After giving him my number a couple of weeks ago at the movie theatre, we'd exchanged a few messages, photos and calls ... nothing I didn't do with all my other friends.

He then asked if I wanted to hang out with him. Grab a bite to eat. Jenson's words had come back to me when Nick had asked. I still wasn't sure what Jenson's deal with the guys was, but I didn't think Nick was anything to worry about. I mean, I thought the guy was good looking, but that was it. Nothing else. I wasn't going to start anything with him. And I could go out with him as a friend. Just like I did with all my other friends. Also, I wasn't sure he was even gay.

Take me and Jenson. I hang out with him more times than I can count. Going to the diner with him was ordinary. Catching a movie together, shooting hoops ... every day stuff for us. Standard. Normal.

I kind of thought that it would be the same with Nick. I thought that it would feel as normal as it did with Jenson.

It kind of did. A bit.

But Jenson wasn't as good looking as Nick.

And Nick wasn't as good looking as Asher.

I sighed as the thought of Asher crossed my mind. Again. I missed him. I missed hanging out with him after school. I missed having him as part of my friend group.

After the kiss, he was all but ignoring me. Did that mean that he remembered that he'd kissed me? Did it disgust him? Was he disgusted with me for not being disgusted?

All those questions were going through my mind and none of them had answers. Should I talk to him? Would he want to talk to me?

One minute we were becoming really good friends, getting closer, and the next ... It was like he was trying to avoid me on purpose. He hardly spoke to me now. Just a quick nod of his head, wave of his hand.

And it hurt.

So much.

I just .... Missed him.

Blinking back sudden tears at the thought of Asher, I bent my head down further to make it look like I was checking out the menu. But I was trying my best to hide my face and my teary eyes from Nick.

I missed Asher.

That was what it was.

"Think I'll have a cheeseburger," Nick said, making up his mind. He put the menu down and took a sip of the drink that the waitress had brought over earlier.

Taking a deep breath, I lifted my head slowly, giving me a chance to blink away any stray tears. Putting my menu down, I smiled across the table at him. "Me, too."

He nodded and leaned back in his seat.

"What's it feel like to be flying through the league?" Nick knew our team was winning our games so far.

I shrugged, trying to play it down, but I was actually kind of proud he'd noticed. "It takes a lot of hard work. We're lucky we got a few good guys."

"Wanna trade for some of ours?" He smirked at me and my heart flipped. Wow. That smirk was ..... Okay, meeting up with him was a good idea after all, especially if he kept smirking at me like that.