In the middle of Des Plaines Illinois three boys find themselves in a tangled knot of angsty lust and amateur love.
Evan Webster has an average American life. When he isn't at swim practice or the movie theater, he's trying to make time to study bi...
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Heather's basement bathroom was inundated with the rosy scent of potpourri. It was the kind of smell that lingered whenever an old lady walked by – a floral-hinted whiff of green tea and pepper. It was starting to give Danny a headache.
"Conejito," Danny warned. The bathroom door was solid against the back of his head as he tried to lean backwards. Evan was closing the space between them, holding onto the edges of his leather.
"I miss you," Evan whispered.
The words fluttered into Danny's ears, soft and sweet. The white-haired boy had a towering physique, but a voice as tiny as a mouse. It wiggled its way into the most vulnerable crevices of Danny's heart, but he clamped down on the penetrating temptation as quick as it had snuck up on him.
"You miss me?" Danny snapped. "Or you miss having a warm mouth on your neck?"
Evan's eyes faltered, tumbling his gaze to his feet. "You know that's not what you are to me..."
"Then what am I?" Danny pressed. "An experiment? A plaything? An after-school hobby?"
Evan reached for Danny's face, but the tough boy caught his wrist and dragged it down. The maneuver wasn't brisk, but it was calculated enough to make Evan understand that Danny had his guard up.
"I care about you," Evan promised, looking at anything besides Danny's brown eyes. "I just..."
"Don't love me? I get it," Danny harshly exhaled. "But we've been doing this for too long if you don't want it to go anywhere other than your pants. Everything we've done...Means something to me. I want it to mean something to you too."
Evan didn't know how it happened, but the rough boy from the auto shop had fallen in love with him.
Him – a boring, sleep-deprived prep who cared more about his grades than the next presidential election. He didn't have anything to offer Danny other than random history facts and biology mnemonics, but Danny didn't really have anything to brag about either. His entire personality revolved around scuffed up leather and an arcane smile. They didn't make sense. Danny was bound to stay stubborn forever, and Evan would probably never learn how to properly express his feelings. They were haphazard love at best, but even so... all the flaws and fights had carved out a safe space that was the perfect size for two.
"You know I'm not...," Evan started. "I'm not good at...this – talking. You're the one who always knows what to say."
"This isn't a math test, Evan," Danny said. "There's no right answer. You can't fail at expressing how you feel."
"You should've said that at homecoming," Evan mumbled.
Danny's mouth twitched. "Yeah, well, I don't always know what to say either."
The cadence of Hungry Like The Wolf had started to dwindle, meaning the midnight countdown had begun. The two boys could hear the chanting of descending numbers through the wooden door. Evan straightened his spine and gave one final tug to Danny's jacket.
"You're the closest person to my heart," Evan explained. "If it was a race...You'd win. No contest. If I ever love anyone...It'll be you. But I'm not there yet...But I want to get there. With you."
Evan's words were honest, but Danny saw a fleck of uncertainty in his blue eyes, like he was lost. Danny had only seen the guise once before.
"Are you afraid?" Danny wondered.
Evan wobbled his head, deciding how to phrase his thoughts. "Love doesn't ever go away," he confided. "If I start loving you...I don't think I'd ever stop."
"And that scares you?"
Evan took a breath. "When the person you love leaves...it hurts." His mom.
Danny's shoulders relaxed, taking Evan's hands into his own. He had seen Evan lose love, and he had been there to help him through the pain. That's what their summer had been built on – loss, not lust. Their beginning wasn't physical. Danny should have remembered that.
"I don't plan on leaving," Danny said, smirking. "So you can stop thinking about other guys."
Evan gave him a sad smile, recalling the comment he had made in Danny's car the night of their fight.
"I'm sorry. That was a shitty way of explaining my feelings," he murmured. "But I do think about other guys. It makes me realize none of them could compare to you."
Danny's smile lines were beginning to surface. "That was a good answer."
There was a motley blend of kazoos and party-poppers making noise behind the door as Danny leaned forward to kiss Evan. When midnight welcomed them into a new year, Evan savored the feeling of Danny's hands on his face. His toughened fingertips were gently lining the preppy boy's cheeks, making him sorry for ever letting him go.
"Evan," Chris knocked hastily. "I need your help."
"If it's about Mrs. Hagley," Evan started, letting Danny drift his lips down his neck. "Just let her align your chakras. It's faster than arguing with her."
"What? No," Chris said. "It's Nadine. You'd better get out here."
Evan halted Danny's actions, shoving him behind the shower curtain. Danny obliged and stayed quiet as Evan exited the bathroom. He waited a minute before he walked out, discreetly avoiding everyone's eyes – except for Jackson's, who gave him a knowing look as he took a swing of his drink.
