Jeff has a strained ankle, so Nick has to do the PE lessons all alone. He missed his friend there, and when he comes back the boys have something to talk about
Soul mate.
Nick went back into the room he shared with Jeff and let himself drop onto his roommate's bed. Jeff looked up from the magazine he was reading and poked Nick with his toes.
'What's up with you? I really hope you're showered, otherwise you're going to leave your bed to me tonight. I'm not sleeping in sheets that are covered in Nick-sweat'
Nick groaned, but looked up. 'I hoped that you would shower with me', he said raising an eyebrow. Jeff rolled his eyes and looked back at the magazine.
'Of course I showered', Nick said after a few moments. He shuffled himself until he sat cross-legged on Jeff's bed. 'You're so lucky you weren't there'
'Oh I feel so lucky having a strained ankle, thanks for reminding' Jeff murmured sarcastically. 'Anyway what did you do today?'
'Land-hockey. The boys went nuts.'
Jeff giggled. 'Yeah, as always. I can imagine it.'
'I was helpless without you' Nick admitted.
Jeff replied disbelievingly: 'Come on, you can survive PE without me.'
'No honestly, they take advantage of every single minute you're not with me'
'And which atrocious things did they do to you?', Jeff asked, while completing the cross-word puzzle in the magazine.
'They stamped onto my toes'
'Poor you'
'I am.' Nick complained. 'Anyways they asked me where my husband was. Again.'
Jeff looked up. 'Your husband like in me?' Nick nodded slightly.
The blonde boy put his magazine down. 'You want to talk about it.'
Nick looked out the window, not saying anything.
'Okay, let's talk about it. It bothers you. It bothers me too, so come on.' Jeff prompted.
Nick looked back at him.
He shrugged. 'It's just annoying. Is our friendship that intense? I mean, yeah, we hold our hands when and then, we've been sleeping in the same room for 4 years and we hang around a lot, but that doesn't mean anything, does it?'
'It doesn't', Jeff replied calmly. 'Look, Nick, you are my best friend, and I act around you like I want to and yes, maybe our friendship seems weird to the others sometimes, but honestly I don't care. I love what we have, and I won't give it up just because the guys around here are such chatterboxes.'
Nick smiled. 'You're my best friend too. I think no one knows me as well as you do. I feel like I can tell you everything'
'You can'
'I know that. Thank you. And yeah – I do have feelings for you but they're – I think – just something friendship-ish. I just really like you, you're kind of a soul mate. But that doesn't mean we have to end up together'
Jeff smiled warmly. 'Of course it doesn't. But who says it won't? Never say never. But at the moment we're just best friends, and I am really really enjoying it. I don't care what's in 10 years.'
Nick laughed a little. 'Yeah just imagine us as an 80-year old couple, sitting in wheelchairs and holding hands'
'Oh yes' Jeff laughed. 'And then we'll look over our old high-school photos and then we'll be all like (he started talking in a grandpa-ish voice): 'Oh look how stupid we were back then. We just didn't see that we loved each other''
Nick started giggling uncontrollably. 'Oh god now I can't get the picture of you with a long grey beard out of my mind.'
'You will stop!' Jeff ordered.
'Oh no, Grandpa Jeff' Nick held his stomach, which already started hurting from all the laughter. 'You're gonna regret this!' Jeff threatened before he started attacking his best friend with his fingers.
'Please not the tickle-war!' extremely fast Nick got out of Jeff's bed and fled into his corner of the room. 'You asked for it' Jeff explained with a mischievous grin and came nearer slowly.
Nick grabbed the pillow next to him and threw it at Jeff. He stopped and shook his head to get his hair back in shape.
'Now you've crossed the line' Jeff pushed Nick onto his bed and started tickling him like mad. Nick let out a high scream which was interrupted by laughter.
Suddenly there was a knock at their door. They stopped. 'Are you guys alright?' Thad's voice asked from the hallway.
'YES!' Nick and Jeff replied simultaneously and then burst into laughter.
'I really wish I'd understand you guys someday' Thad said and they heard him stepping away again. Jeff and Nick looked at each other, grinning.
'Where were we?' Nick asked.
'I think we talked about us loving each other' Jeff replied. 'No honestly' he added more earnest. 'I love the thing that we have, as I said. I never had a friend like you before.'
'Me neither' Nick admitted.
They sat there in silence, just smiling. 'Isn't now the time we should kiss?' Jeff asked abruptly. He gazed in Nick's eyes.
Suddenly they burst into laughter again and fell back on Nick's bed. Nick hit his head at the wall and Jeff started laughing even harder.
'Shut up you little git'
Jeff stopped laughing but still snorted. Nick rolled his eyes. 'Let's watch a movie!' he suggested.
'Let's watch a movie' Jeff agreed smiling.