The Consequences of Falling In Love

39: The Consequences of Raining

Nathan hopped out of the car, opening the hood and a ton of heat came whisking out. Royce followed after him, turning on the flashlight of his phone to help him see better in the darkness. He finally got the chance to take a look at his surroundings. There was only one store he could spot accompanied by some trees, other than that it was a dead road. The wind was picking up, the clouds racing above them and roaring loudly.

Royce was glad he had the jacket to keep himself warm. Nathan on the other hand was only wearing a tight white t-shirt, sleeves rolled up with some black sweatpants, his biceps flexing every now and then. The rain began to pour down on them slowly. While Nathan was busy checking some parts, head ducked inside to take a closer look, Royce's eyes lingered on his muscles unconsciously, studying the tiniest details.

Nathan had a troubled look on his face as he explained. "I'm guessing the ignition switch is damaged but the battery seems to be powered. It needs to be replaced so I can't fix the problem on my own. I don't have the tools either." Was he rambling?

"I didn't get a single thing," Royce grumbled, eventually forcing himself to look away because his cheeks were burning hot and he hated how they were getting soaked. At least he had the cap to protect his hair but Nathan was completely exposed. "Tell me how bad is it?"

Nathan shut the hood carefully, dusting off his hands, and placed them on his hips. "It means we can't go home." He looked up at the sky, tiny droplets falling on his face. "The rain's gonna come harder. Let's get inside."

"How far are we anyway?" Royce asked once they were back in the car, readjusting his cap.

"Two hours. I can call a mechanic but it'll take some time for them to get here." Nathan's shoulders were tense and his t-shirt was completely soaked, clinging to his upper body and mind you, it was nearly see-through, wet strands of hair dropping on his forehead.

Unexpectedly the atmosphere in the car seemed to turn upside down, suffocating and so hot that Royce wanted to take off his jacket. He muttered to fill the awkwardness. "In that case, I should let Wren know I'll be late."

Neither of them spoke after that. Nathan turned on the heater and focused on drying his hair somehow. Royce could barely sit still, fingers fidgeting, thoughts roaming and heart pounding in his chest. The sound of rain hitting against the car was a torturous reminder that they were stuck in this space together with no other choice.

The gap between them was intolerable. Royce was sure he was going to lose any second. He had to restraint himself by biting hard on his fist.

"Hey, are you okay?" Even Nathan's voice was triggering and not helping at all. He probably noticed the discomfort on Royce's face. "You can share whatever that is bothering you."

"Nate, can you please . . ." Royce struggled to speak, his voice constricted as he gulped hard and turned to face him with every ounce of bravery he could find. He hoped his eyes were honest and lips looked kissable. "Can you please kiss me?"

Nathan wore a dumbstruck expression, unmoving. As if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Huh?"

"Kiss me." He immediately wanted to hide in a corner, fold his body, and never come out but he managed to take a stand. Though when Nathan didn't move nor respond for some time, Royce regretted even opening his mouth. "Never mind. I take back what I–"

The rest of his words died down because Nathan's lips were on his the next second, face cupped gently and lips pressed barely, putting the slightest pressure that it almost tickled. Royce's eyes went wide, fist clenched tightly to keep himself from falling apart as a new wave of emotions invaded his body. He was going to pass out before he could even get used to being kissed by Nathan.

It appeared as if time itself had stopped moving for them but in reality, it had only been mere seconds and Nathan was pulling back just as soon he kissed. His eyes were a certain kind of wild and his face revealed an intense amount of mixed feelings. Perhaps it was Nathan who was on the verge of breaking.

"Don't take it back." Nathan breathed out, his tone nearly pleading and he let face drop in the curve of Royce's neck, arms securely wrapped around him as if he was scared Royce was going to disappear or run away. "I'll kiss you however many times you want. I'll do anything so just . . . don't take it back, okay?"

In a way seeing Nathan vulnerable like this made his heart melt to the brink and he hugged him back just as tightly. "Okay."

*

author's note

I'm gonna head to sleep it's five am and I'm so tired please knock me tf out 😭 thank you for 40k reads. I hope these two chapters are worth something! :')