Title: Sudden change of heart

Chapter: I love you too

Author: sodapoplover

Warning: Guy/Guy

Pairing: Dallas & Tim

Book: The Outsider (I own nothing! All of these characters are property of S. E. Hinton)

We were kissing so fucking passionately and aggressively but stopped when I heard a familiar voice mumble my name. I slightly pushed Tim off when I saw Steve Randle standing only about eight feet away from us. He was standing there with a pounding heart and a bottle of beer on his right hand. "Oh my God, Steve!" I cried. Steve didn't move. He just stood there looking shocked and dumbfounded. 'What are you doing?" he asked dropping his bottle of beer. "What- what am I doing?" I questioned myself looking at Tim as he looked back at me and Steve. "That's a good question. What am I doing?" Steve stepped back a little and I stuttered, "Well Steve, what does it look like I'm doing?" Tim pulled his greasy hair back and rolled his eyes. "You're making out with Tim…" He laughed a little but it was more like a scared kind of laughter. "Yap. Y-yeah you're right. I am making out with Tim. Now I bet you're wondering why." I said taking a cancer stick out of my pocket and lighting it up. I sure needed one at the moment. "Uh huh," Steve said nodding his head. I laughed coolly and told myself to pull it together. "Y-you're gay?" he asked confusedly. I looked at Tim who bit his lip. He didn't seem scared or surprised he just seemed annoyed and a bit frustrated. "And Tim… Tim Shepard is too," he said pointing at Tim. "You're gay?" he asked again. "You're drunk," was my response. "You're GAY!" he said. "Like you're one to talk! You're dating your best friend!" I blurted out. Tim quickly turned to look at Steve shockingly and asked ,"you're dating Sodapop?" Steve's mouth dropped. "I'm not dating him! We were just friends with benefits!" he cried stepping up to me. "Well so are Tim and I," I replied proudly and didn't even know why. Tim looked at me confusedly and asked, "we are." "Since?" Steve shouted. "Months ago. Well, it's a long story. This is practically our second time kissing." "What?" Steve asked confusedly while pulling a bit of his hair back and scratching the back of his neck. "Ok. Ok let's go to my place and talk this through," Tim said as he walked back to Buck's to get in his car. He turned to look at Steve who was frozen. "Follow," he ordered.

Once we reached Tim's house we all headed to Tim's room. In the living room were Angela and some of her whore friends. I heard Tim telling her if she started any mess she'd regret ever being born. "Any mess," he hissed. "You just remember what we talked about ok baby sister." Angela's face went red with anger but she kept quiet.

"Well when did this exactly happen?" Steve asked shaking then he added, "can I have some water?"

Tim threw him a water bottle. "Uh," I began. "Well it all started the night of the rumble."

"The night of the rumble?" he asked spitting some water out.

I nodded. "Yeah and that night we … we – well we did it," I finished.

He spitted some more water out and said, "wow, Soda and I haven't even gotten there yet."

"You haven't?" Tim asked popping a pepsi bottle open for himself.

"No," he said drinking more water. 'I didn't want to."

"Why not?" I asked thinking about how sad Soda was. "Wait. Have you even seen him?"

"No. Well yeah but only at work and we hardly talk."

"Why? Why are you avoiding him?"

"I'm not avoiding him. I see him at work Dal."

"I still call that avoiding. If you're not making conversation with him."

Tim simply took sips out of his drink while looking back and forth at me and Steve arguing. "He's really upset because you said you wanted to put this whole thing on hold."

"Well why wouldn't I? It's better this way anyway. You saw how mad Darry got."

"Yeah, but he's over it now- sort of. Look beyond that point Sandy dumped Soda you dumped Evie and found out that you were attracted to each other, so you get together because that's the way it's supposed to be. I mean your best friends for fuck sake."

"The way it's supposed to be?" Steve questioned getting up. "What the hell happened to you Dallas? Now that you're with Tim-"

"He's not exactly with me," Tim interrupted. Asshole.

"What is with you? Yeah Soda and I are best friends but that doesn't mean we have to be together! I mean God! What is up with you? Now that you and Tim got with each other you think you found a knight in shining armor? Wake up Dal! What happened to you?... 'The way it's supposed to be'. Honestly Dal. I love Soda, with all my heart, but it's not an obligation that I have to be with him." He stared at me for a long second then said anxious, "sorry but I gotta go."

I looked at Tim who was looking at me back. "So…" he said laying back on his bed. I stared at his body and couldn't help but be turned on by him. "Do you gotta leave too?"

"No," I answered stubbornly. I wanted to stay. I wanted to stay with Tim but it's not like I wanted to admit it. I walked around his room and looked around aimlessly.

"So…" he said slowly. "What do you wanna do?"

I looked at him pathetically. "What is there to do," I asked looking away.

"Well… You could come in bed with me." He scooted over and gave me a half seductive smile. He patted the side of the bed then put his arms behind his head and stared off at the ceiling. I guess he got the idea that he didn't have to ask me again. Regardless I made my way to his bed and lay beside him. I was trying not to get too close to him but he was pulling me closer. We stayed there laying in bed doing nothing but staring at the ceiling fan that spin crookedly. It felt like long minutes and neither one of us had said a word. Finally he sat up and lit a cigarette. "Do you want one?" he asked as he put the cancer stick in his mouth. "No. I'm good. Thanks anyway," I answered. Thanks anyway? Oh come on Dallas! He stayed seated on the edge of the bed and didn't say a word. Right when I was gonna ask him why he kicked the shit out of me earlier that week he said," do you think they'll get together?" "Who?" I asked sitting up. "Soda and Steve," he said slowly blowing some smoke out of his mouth. Damn was that sexy. I thought about the question he asked me then said, "I think at the moment Steve's too chicken shit too admit he likes a guy and on top of that his best friend from grade school." Tim nodded his head. "Hell even I was scared when I realized I liked you," I said softly and quietly. I knew he heard me but decided to ignore it. "So you do think Steve likes Soda?" "Steve, I think likes the kind of girls who could really fall for him and Soda, he's the biggest exception. He understands him completely." "And you?" he asked. "Me?" I laughed. "Damn Tim I don't have any standards. Shoot, I'm even going out with you." Tim slowly turned to look at me. His face was something I couldn't explain but it sure did make me tense. "I don't ever remember asking you out." I looked down with embarrassment and disappointed. "I know." "Well," he said as slide his hand across his greasy hair back and forth and slid off his ring. "Dallas Winston…" he said showing me the ring and continued, "would you like to go out with me?" As shocked as I was I wanted to loudly shout hell yeah but I didn't want to overdo it. "Tim…" I quietly whispered as I looked at the ring. "Just say yes Winston." I looked up at him and he was surprise to see the biggest smile on my face. ''Yes." I took the ring from him and began to slip it onto my finger but stopped when I noticed the ring I gave to Sylvia around my finger. "What? You don't want it?" he asked a bit angrily but I heard a worried tone in his voice. I took my ring off and handed it to him. "Let's trade," I said. "This is a commitment." He kissed me and we lay in the dark in each other's arms. I don't want this moment to go away.

"Tim?"

"Yeah?" he asked sleepily.

"How do you think this is going to end?" No answer. I sat up to look at him. He had fell asleep. "Good night," I said kissing his cheek. As I started to fall asleep I could've sworn I heard him say, "I hope good… I love you." I was too sleepy to be stunned by what I heard and what I said back. "I love you too."And I fell into a deep sleep.