Rainy Days

Chapter Thirty-Three: Wheels on The Bus

[jordans bus–tuesday afternoon]

"HAVE YOU seen Billie at all?" Jordan asked. Tate shrugged.

"No, not since Friday. Why?"

"No reason...it's just weird," Jordan frowned. "Because, even if she skips classes, she always rides the bus. Doesn't she?"

Tate nodded. Jordan hummed and stared out the window, the small houses of Sun Creek giving way to trees and dirt roads.

"Can I talk about Nico, or would you rather talk about something else?" Tate questioned. He looked nervous, but his eyes glittered when he said Nico.

"Sure," Jordan said, moving so he was facing his best friend. "What do you wanna talk about?"

"Nico and I kissed," whispered Tate, his face lighting up with a grin.

"No way!" Jordan gasped, almost throwing his bag in surprise and excitement. Tate nodded, squealing and biting his bottom lip.

"Well? Tell me!" Jordan said. He was grinning too; it felt normal, with the sun warming his skin and Tate smiling wide while telling him about his kiss.

"Okay, okay," Tate ran a hand through his hair as he prepared to tell the tale of kissing Nico. "So, it was after that whole...whatever at your house last night, and we've got the radio turned on, quiet enough so we can kind of hear The Beatles—Nico really likes The Beatles, it's really cute—and we're just talking, right? He's telling me about his brothers and sisters and cousins back home, and how cool they all are, and I'm just smiling and nodding and asking questions because his voice is, like, really pretty? I've never liked anyone's voice before, but I think I love Nico's."

Jordan nodded. Tate continued:

"We pulled into my driveway, and then, the conversation kind of died out? But it wasn't awkward or anything, we just kind of stared at each other. Nico had this cute little half-smile he does, and you could kind of see his freckles under the streetlight. And, we could hear The Beatles playing Hey Jude, and I started leaning in because I really wanted to kiss him. Like, I've wanted to kiss people before, but then it was like a need.

"And he leaned in too, and then—we where kissing!" Tate clapped his hands together, biting down in his bottom lip. He had whispered the entire story, out of fear of others hearing and telling people: Tate Vegner and Nico have a Thing.

"Oh. My. God." Jordan said. "That is the cutest thing ever!"

"I know, right!"

"What happened next?"

"We kissed for like, ten minutes, and I guess I wasn't as bad as I thought because afterwards Nico just smiled at me like an idiot and told me we should try that again soon." said Tate. "I said that I agreed, and then I giggled like the most awkward giggle ever giggled, and Nico asked me if he could kiss me again!"

Jordan faked a swoon.

"And of course I said yes, and then we kissed for, like, another five minutes! It was so great." Tate leaned back against the bus seat and closed his eyes, sighing dreamily. "It was fucking amazing, Jordie."