𝐑𝐔𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐒, 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐨

₃₃. 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒓𝒖𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒔

"𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭
𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭
𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐢'𝐝 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐲,
𝐢𝐟 𝐢 𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐭 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐰"

♫ softcore - the neighborhood

———

CHAPTER 33
"JUST RUMORS"

(extra long chapter but it's worth it!)

[real life]

a few girls pass by, making the place feel even more crowded. noah glances toward the front door. "let's go outside, yeah?" he says, taking nick's hand and leading him out to the front lawn.

it's dark out, and the streets are packed with parked cars. they find an empty spot on the porch swing next to a big tree, sitting down and letting the swing move back and forth in silence. there's hardly anyone around, giving them some privacy.

noah looks over at nick, who has a pensive look on his face. "so, what did you wanna talk about?" he asks, leaning back in his spot.

the wind blows around them, carrying a few fallen leaves from the tree. nick glances at noah, adjusting himself to get his full attention. "so, um... we're friends, right?" he asks, making noah nod with a confident smile.

"we sure are," he says easily, and nick laughs lightly at his response.

clearing his throat, nick continues, "well, i've noticed we've been really close recently, you know? like, going out just the two of us, holding hands, calling each other all the time..." he trails off, watching noah nod along as if he already knew where this was going.

"i know we just started talking a couple of months ago, but we got comfortable with each other pretty quickly. and trust me, i like that a lot," he admits with a small laugh. "it just feels like we're sort of acting like more than friends, and... i don't know what that implies about us."

noah purses his lips, nodding slowly before sitting up straighter. "first off, i know what you mean, i've noticed it too," he says, offering nick a small smile before shifting closer until their shoulders touch. the sudden closeness makes nick go slightly red. noah notices, but instead of commenting, he just looks forward and smiles to himself.

nick is practically holding his breath, waiting for noah to continue.

noah finally looks over, scanning nick's features for a moment before reaching for his hand. this time, he laces their fingers together and meets nick's gaze. the growing smile on nick's face makes noah's own lips curl up slightly.

"i like hearing you insult people in the funniest way possible. i like being able to talk to you about anything, spending time with you, calling you, watching movies just to make fun of them with you, hugging you, holding hands with you..." noah pauses for a second, his voice quiet but full of sincerity. "i like you, nick."