We'll Be Fireproof

Chapter Eleven

My hands are shaking and my cheeks are sore. I'm excited. Beyond excited. I'm absolutely ecstatic. I'm rummaging through my closet, trying to find something nice to wear, when Mordelia walks into my room.

"What are you doing?" she asks, hands on her hips, eyebrows furrowed.

"I have a date."

"What!? With who?" She breaks into a grin and rushes over to join me at the closet.

"Simon fucking Snow," I beam.

"What? Seriously? This calls for drastic measure. Scoot." She bumps my hip, pushing me out of the way and begins looking through my closet for something to wear.

"Where are you guys going?" she questions, pulling out a tattered grey t-shirt and holding it up to my chest. She shakes her head and shoves it back into the closet, continuing to look for the right outfit.

"We're meeting at the school. You know the park in the back? It's actually kind of romantic at dusk, so we're meeting there in about two hours."

"Bring candles," she says, pulling out a pair of black jeans and tossing them over to me.

"Candles?" I ask, catching the pants and stepping into them.

"It adds to the mood. It'll be very romantic," she says, pulling a black button-up shirt out of the closet.

"Okay. Good. Okay," I nod, taking the shirt from her and sliding it onto my arms.

As I'm buttoning the shirt my father walks in. "It's awfully loud in here. What's going on?" he asks, eyes scanning the mess of my room.

"Basil has a date," Mori grins.

"Oh?" he perks up, eyebrows raised slightly. "Have you finally asked Agatha out?"

Mori turns from him and faces me, her eyes cast down. She knows how angry it makes me when he does this. I've come out to him countless times and no matter what he always comes back with a new girl for me to date. I'm fed up.

"No, father. It's a date with a boy." I grimace, trying to stay calm, my arm outstretched as Mori rolls up my sleeve.

He sighs and noticeably mopes. What a dick. "I see. Well, be back by 10." With that he leaves, acting as if I've just announced a death in the family.

"Ignore him. This is your night. Got it? Simon is never going to want to let you go. I promise." She rubs my arm, a smile ghosting her lips.

"Thank you."

Mori takes my hand and pulls me to the bathroom. She's on top of it otnihgt. I don't know what I would do without her. "Sit," she instructs.

I sit on the lidded toilet and she takes a bottle of mousse, squirting it into her hand and running it through my hair.

"How did you find out he was-," she glances down at me and then back to my hair.

"Gay?" I raise my eyebrows and smile. "It's not poison, Mori. You're allowed to say it."

She nods and grabs a spray bottle. "So how did you know?" she asks and sprays the liquid into her hand. I smell it instantly; it's saltwater spray, to make my hair wavy.

"You know watfordsecrets.com?" I ask as her fingers run through my hair.

"Yes..." she says, her eyebrow raised.

"He posted something about the difficulties of coming out. But at the time I didn't know it was him. What he said was really well put so I sent him a message and we got talking. We- well, we kind of decided to keep our identities secret. I went by Ty and he went by Oli."

"Ty for Tyrannus?" she questions, pulling out a tube of mascara.

"Yes. And Oli for Oliver. It's his middle name," I say, closing my eyes. "So we talked everyday and fuck, Mori, he's so godamn sweet. He has this way of speaking that's just so adorable and it kills me. Okay, now, fast forward a couple days and Simon and I get paired up for an in-class assignment. I still didn't know it's him but god, I wanted it to be."

She swipes the mascara onto my lashes and giggles under her breath.

"So he- goddamn, it was so cute- he took me to the back of the library and he was very quiet. He barely spoke the first day but once he started I never wanted to hear anything but his voice, Mori. He's so perfect. So the next day we go back to the library and he's wearing a Twenty One Pilots shirt, which is his favourite band. I ask him what his favourite songs are and later that night, on watfordsecrets I asked him what his favourite songs are, and he says the exact same ones. And I knew it was him." I'm rambling, but I don't give a shit. I am so unbelievably happy that it's him. I'm happy that we can be together, if he wants me. God, I'll give him everything if he wants me to.

"Oh god, Baz. That's probably the cutest thing I've ever heard. Does he know it's you?" she asks.

I grin, opening my eyes and looking at her. "Not yet. He wants it to keep it a surprise," I say.

"Okay, big boy, you're all set. I'll get some candles and a lighter. Are you going to get flowers?"

"Daisies," I confirm, standing from the toilet seat and grinning. She fixes my hair one last time then shoves me out the door.

"Go get your shoes, I'll get the candles."

I'm so unbelievably happy. There's an entire zoo twisting in my stomach as I race downstairs.

I'm in love.