Nathan jolted awake at 3 in the morning, breathing heavily from a nightmare he'd had concerning Jess, his mum, the other boys, and a massive fourteen-wheeler. For a second in the pitch black, his eyes darted frantically around the room, trying to adjust to the darkness and remember where he was, until he felt the warmth of Jay's arm around him. This simple gesture, a mere touch, comforted him and he let Jay's light, endearing snores lull him back to sleep.
The nightmares never came back; instead, they were replaced by sweet, peaceful dreams about the boy he was sharing a bed—and a precious secret—with.
The next time he woke up, bright sunlight was streaming through the curtains; the clock on his bedside table read 9:42 A.M. and Jay was nowhere to be seen. A cursory check of his phone revealed a text from precisely the person he was looking for: Good morning, handsome ;) Hope I didn't wake you up. Breakfast's waiting in the kitchen, if you want some xx
It was only when he saw the word breakfast that he realized how ravenous he was: he and Jay hadn't eaten a proper dinner the previous night. Venturing out into the hallway, his nose caught a whiff of freshly brewing coffee and pancakes on the stove, making his mouth water and his empty stomach grumble.
He followed the sweet aromas downstairs and, in his trance, almost tripped over Tom, who was sprawled—fast asleep—in the entryway of the kitchen.
"Shit," he muttered, clutching the side of the wall to keep his balance.
"Almost forgot, better watch out for Tom," Jay called from the stove.
"Too late," Nathan said, carefully stepping over Tom. "And you didn't tell me on purpose. So what's for breakfast?" As if he couldn't already tell from the smell.
"There's eggs and bacon over there on the counter, pancakes are on the way, and coffee's almost ready."
"You're the best, Bird, you know that?" he replied, casually strolling over to the stove and wrapping Jay in a hug from behind.
"I know," the latter said, and before any of them knew it, Jay had stealthily turned around and they were facing each other: arms intertwined and faces so near to each other's that they noticed things they'd never seen before—whether it was the striking blue of Jay's eyes up close or the perfect proportionality of Nathan's features.
"Well, this is awkward," Jay chuckled.
"No, it isn't," Nathan retorted, and he leaned in and planted a soft, lingering kiss on Jay's lips.
"You're right. It's perfect," Jay whispered and kissed him right back.
Of course, that was when Max chose to wake up and look for something to eat. Fortunately, his loudly dragging footsteps gave him away and by the time he arrived in the kitchen entryway—and proceeded to trip over Tom—Jay and Nathan had let go of each other, acting like absolutely nothing had happened between them.
"You'll never guess who we bumped into at Allison's last night," he slurred. It was apparent that the effects of who knows how many beers he'd drank last night hadn't worn off yet.
"Who?" Jay asked, raising an eyebrow at Nathan, who was quietly in hysterics.
"Your twin! Tom!"
"No fucking way."
"It's true! Apparently he was friends with Alli in high school and he's had a crush on her for a while now. So he told her, and it looks like they're together now," Max explained, grabbing a piece of bacon and dragging himself back to the living room. He, however, forgot about Tom and tripped over him again, landing hard on the floor and letting out a small 'ouch' before promptly falling asleep again.
So that whole thing with Allison was just a crush? Jay thought. Then, as he looked over at Nathan, it sunk in that they could be together, seeing as Allison didn't expect anything from him anymore. Tom McGuiness was gonna be the best boyfriend in the world; Jay could tell.
"Uh, Bird?" Nathan interrupted his train of thought. "Your pancakes are burning."
"Holy shit, sorry." Jay fumbled for the dial and turned off the stove just in time: the pancakes were burnt, but it was nothing he couldn't fix.
"Hey, Nath?" he said, leaning back on the counter, relieved. "You remember I told you that Allison told me that she really likes me?"
All Nathan could do was nod and wait for Jay to go on.
"Well, it turns out that she has, like, a major major crush on me. I think she even wanted to get together. But I couldn't just tell her 'yes' because of how I felt about you. But now that she has Tom, I think it's safe to say that I'll never leave you."
"Ever," he promised.
Nathan smiled and opened his arms. They had to settle for a hug, just in case any of the others woke up again. What happened with Max was much too close of a call for them to risk a kiss again. Wrapped in each other's embrace in the quiet of the morning, the solitude was the perfect start to a beautiful, albeit risky, relationship. And the best part? It was a secret only they shared. Together.
They don't know I've waited all my life just to find a love that feels this right; Baby, they don't know about us.
