A/N: Hello again everyone! New chapter alert!

Before we get into things, I would like to thank everyone that read last chapter! I would also like to give a huge thank you to Side1ways, Guest, winterschild11, annabellex2, and RainbowDiamonds for reviewing!

I hope you all enjoy! :)

February arrived with a bang, that bang being a massive snowstorm. Kendall had invited me to stay over the night before, and when we woke up the next morning-still naked and cuddled together-the light coming in through the window was white instead of the usual golden stream from the sun.

After I got out of bed, taking the sheet with me, I looked outside and watched in wonder as the snow covered every inch of the grass. It was still coming down hard, too.

Kendall stirred on the bed, and I turned to see him on his side, staring at me with heavy lidded eyes.

"What are you looking at?" He asked with his voice heavy from sleep.

"Take a look for yourself." I said, motioning to the window.

Accepting my challenge, he got up and walked over to me. His dick was at half-mast, and even though we'd pretty much had sex all night, I already wanted more.

"Damn." He said once seeing the snow. "The weather guys actually got it right this time. Good thing I got some groceries yesterday. Doesn't look like we'll be going anywhere anytime soon."

I put my arms around him, wrapping the sheet around him too.

Our dicks touched as he leaned closer, and I softly moaned against his mouth as he kissed me. Knowing there wouldn't be any school for me today, I moved him back toward the bed, sucking on his tongue like I wanted to do to his cock.

He growled deep in his throat before falling back on the mattress and taking me with him.

We spent another hour in bed, getting lost in the warmth of each other's bodies. He fucked me hard and fast the first time, and then we lazily kissed afterward, giving ourselves time recoup. Then he made love to me, unhurried and passionate.

It showed both sides of Kendall so well. The wild side and then the softer, more romantic one.

I loved both of them equally.

I wanted to believe that I could keep him. That we wouldn't allow anything to tear us apart again, neither distance nor careers. But the clock was ticking. Him being in Willow was only temporary.

I didn't know how much longer he planned to stay. We hadn't talked about the future since about a week and a half ago when he'd had lunch with me at school. It was the unspoken thing that drove a wedge between us in moments when I caught myself thinking about it. I suspected his mind was often in the same place as mine, though, by the way he'd hold onto me sometimes as if I was leaving.

Or he was.

"Can we just stay in bed all day?" He asked in a husky tone, nuzzling his face into my neck before pressing a kiss there.

"That sounds great to me." I answered, turning my face into his hair and smelling his comforting scent. It was a mix of his cologne and something that was uniquely him.

"Good." He said before tugging me closer.

He sucked at the bottom of my throat, and I wrapped my arms around his neck, tilting my head back. My breathing quickened as his hand smoothed up and down my chest. He tweaked my nipples as he continued nipping at my throat, and I moaned.

He didn't try for more than that, though. Instead, he placed one last kiss to my neck and one on my lips before laying his head on my chest and closing his eyes.

Kendall was so cuddly after sex, and an ache hit my heart as I held onto him, wondering how long I'd get to keep him this time before he left again.

When we finally got out of bed around noon, we showered before going into the kitchen to make something to eat. I was starving and my stomach roared its discontent as I opened the refrigerator and looked inside.

"How do you feel about eggs, bacon, and toast?" I asked, thankful he'd gone to the store the day before.

One look outside the window above the sink told me there was no way we could go anywhere. Well, unless we hiked through the snow. Which actually could be fun. We'd done it quite a few times when we were kids. We'd had some pretty epic snowball fights too.

Kendall came up behind me and slipped his arms around my waist, kissing my nape. I melted against him, tilting my head back and resting it on the side of his.

"If you don't stop, we'll starve." I pointed out as I felt his dick poke my ass. "Now shoo."

"You did not just tell me to fucking shoo." He said with a scoff.

For emphasis, I grabbed the spatula from the stove and flipped around to face him. I gently tapped it against my open palm, arching a brow at him.

He put his hands up. "Fine. I'll shoo. Like a damn dog."

"Good boy." I said, suppressing a laugh upon seeing the incredulous stare he gave me for that remark.

It didn't take long for me to make breakfast, and once I was finished, we sat down at the table near the patio doors and ate. We watched the snow continue to fall and talked about old times. Not the parts of the past that would stir up drama again, but the parts that made us laugh so hard I nearly choked on a piece of bacon.

"Remember his face?" Kendall asked through his laughs before he scrunched his face up and mimicked Mr. Henderson. "You damn kids better get off my lawn or I'm gonna call the law!"

I laughed and wiped the tears from the corners of my eyes before busting out into another fit of giggles.

I'd forgotten how easy it was to be with Kendall, but he was reminding me more and more each day. He'd only been back in Willow for about a month, but I already forgot what life was like before then. As if I'd been merely existing and not actually living. My life was simple. Predictable and lacking all spontaneity. And I'd been completely okay with that.

Until I remembered what it was like to be with Kendall.

Suddenly, I felt like my old self again, as if Kendall's presence gave me back a piece of my soul. My missing piece. That piece had been torn from me when he'd left seven years ago, and it'd taken every ounce of strength I had to carry on without him.

"I don't want this day to end." Kendall said after we'd eaten and crawled back into bed. He pulled me into his arms.

I couldn't fight my thoughts anymore.

"What happens when you leave?" I asked, forcing back the wave of sorrow weaving through my chest. "Our lives are too different, Ken. I want to have this. I want to have you here with me forever, but that can't happen, can it?"

Kendall looked at me for a minute before sitting back and getting off the bed.

I instantly missed his weight against me. It was as if the blanket had been yanked off me, and I was left there missing its warmth. He walked toward the door, and I watched grooves in his naked back move as he did. The two dips in his lower back sat right above the sexiest ass I'd ever seen.

"Kendall?"

In the doorway, he turned, and his face had dramatically changed from the vulnerable expression to one of frustration.

"Why do you have to be like this, James?" He shook his head and looked down at the hardwood floor. "Why do you always have to bring up such fucking depressing things when all I wanna do is enjoy being with you? The last time I tried to talk about the future, you shut me down. And now you wanna talk about it again? Make up your fucking mind because I'm losing mine trying to keep up with you."

I got off the bed and neared him before grabbing his hand. I half-expected him to yank away from me, but then I reminded myself that was a move I'd make, not him.

"You don't want to be with me, do you?" He asked, lifting his gaze and focusing on me. His usually green eyes appeared darker.

"That's not true." I said, stepping closer. "But it'd be stupid to not at least consider where this is going. I mean, think about it, Ken. I have a life here just like you have one there."

"You know that's a bullshit excuse." He snapped, letting go of my hand. "Guys on my team have girlfriends. Fuck, some of them even have kids. They all make it work. Yeah, my summer is a full schedule of training and workouts, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't make time to see you."

I pictured the kind of life he talked about. It wasn't totally impossible. Difficult, yes. But not undoable. However, I still didn't see it working out long term.

One thing he seemed to forget is that those guys on his team actually LIVE with their girlfriends and kids.

Kendall would still live in Kansas City, and I'd live here in Willow. All of that traveling back and forth to see each other would get tiring. Not only physically, but emotionally as well. Because there'd be too many goodbyes and not enough time between them to ease the heartache.

"Okay. Then maybe we should just take this one step at a time." I suggested, grabbing his hand again. "See where life takes us. I won't mention it again."

Kendall raised our joined hands and kissed my knuckles. "Have faith in me, Jay. Relationships aren't easy. They take effort, and yeah, sometimes they're fucking hard. But we have to at least try. Don't give up on me. I don't want to lose you again."

"I don't want to lose you either." I whispered, too emotional to talk any louder. My chest fluttered and my bottom lip trembled uncontrollably.

One thing I knew for sure?

Losing him again would shatter me completely.

"Some advice I can give you is don't neglect your studies." I said to the group of athletes hovering around our table at lunch. "Most guys think athletics is all that comes into play, but they want leaders in the pros, both in the classroom and on the ice. If your grades aren't there, they doubt your determination."

"Well, shit." Joel said, crinkling his brow. "I'm fucked then. And not in the fun way."

"Hey. Language." James chastised him.

"Yeah, watch your profanity." Daniel said, trying and failing to contain his laughter as he shoulder-bumped his best friend.

For the past two weeks, I'd started having lunch with James almost daily at the high school, and within that time, I'd talked more to his students. A lot of them were still starstruck, but for the most part, once they'd hung out with me a bit and saw that I was just a regular guy, they'd begun to relax more and not look at me like I was God or something.

Well, the girls still looked at me like that, which admittedly, weirded me out a little. But I was somewhat used to fan girls. I didn't get as much attention as a rock star or movie stars, but since I'd done the Under Armour photoshoot, I'd definitely been thrown more into the spotlight.

Other than my career in hockey, the modeling had sparked most of my fame and put me in the public eye, causing me to appear in magazines and on billboards. I'd never get used to girls approaching me with posters of me in just my underwear wanting my autograph.

Signing hockey pucks and hockey sticks was one thing. Signing pictures of me all sexed-up and with my junk almost falling out was another.

"Are you really dating Veronica Castro?" Another kid asked whose name I think was Seth. "She's so freaking hot."

James averted his gaze at the question, and a heaviness settled in my stomach.

I'd told him Veronica was just a friend and that she and I had never had sex, but his insecurity made him still have suspicions I was lying. I guess I couldn't really blame him, especially with all the reports out there and the fact that I never publicly denied dating her. But it still hurt that he didn't fully trust me, and I knew that when the time came for me to leave, it'd cause another fight. Because he didn't trust me enough to do the long distance thing.

"We're friends." I answered, wanting to finally put the rumors to rest. "But we're not together."

"You must get a lot of hot chicks all the time." Another guy said as if it was something to be admired. For teenage boys it was, I supposed. "And to just go through them all, a different one every night. Dude, I wanna be just like you someday."

I looked at James, who was paying extra attention to his salad and avoiding eye contact with me. If the roles were reversed, I'd probably be upset too, hearing about all the people he'd been with.

"Some guys do that." I said, regarding the group of boys. "Fame comes with all kinds of temptations. But I'm actually seeing someone right now, and not to throw away my cool card, but they're the only one I want. So as awesome as it is to get lucky, a real relationship is even better."

James looked at me then, and the awed expression in his hazel eyes nearly made me forget where we were and kiss him.

"That's so romantic." Kelsea, one of the cheerleaders, said, resting her chin on her hand and staring at me with big, dreamy eyes. "She's a very lucky girl."

Just like that, the sadness returned on James' face. One day I'd find the courage to publicly come out, and when that day arrived, I'd kiss him in front of the whole world if it made him happy.

When lunch was over, I walked with James back to his classroom. Kids high-fived and knuckle-bumped me as we went down the hall.

"Just like when we were in high school." James chuckled with an amused shake of his head. "No matter what, you'll always be one of the cool kids."

"I can't help it that I'm so lovable." I said, winking.

Entering his classroom, I saw that there weren't any students in there yet, so I sat on the edge of his desk.

"They're going to miss you when you leave, you know." James said before grabbing a marker and writing the day's assignment on the board. After capping the marker, he placed it back on the tray and faced me. "So will I."

Sadness crept up my spine.

The topic of me leaving had been the one thing we'd avoided.

For weeks, we'd just lived in our own little bubble. Our own reality, not worrying about the following day and just living in the moment. He'd helped me go through Gramps' things, and instead of hiring someone else to come in and fix the parts of the house that needed it, I'd been gradually working on it to give myself something to do during the day when I wasn't at school with him.

But it couldn't be avoided forever.

"I'm still here now." I said, closing the distance between us. I didn't pull him into my arms like I wanted to, because students started entering the classroom, but I subtly brushed my pinky against his.

"I know." He answered in a sad tone. "I'm just trying not to get too comfortable. I'm not stupid enough to think this will last forever."

As he greeted some of his students, I walked to the back of the room to get out of the way. I normally didn't stay long after lunch, but there'd been times when I stuck around for the rest of the school day, playing teacher's aide.

Recently, I'd been dubbed One Who Passes Out Assignments and Gatherer of Papers. I was kind of a big deal like that.

"Today we're going to read more in Tartuffe." James said, standing at the front of the class and looking sexy as fuck as he bunched the sleeves of his shirt up at his elbows. "But first, can anyone tell me the literary period when Moliere released the play?"

Kevin's hand shot up. "The Enlightenment."

That kid was always the first to raise his hand.

"And what was that?" James asked.

"It was the age of reason." Kevin expanded his answer. "Instead of focusing on blind faith, it emphasized logic and scientific details."

"Correct." James said with a smile. "Tartuffe is the name of one of the main characters in the play who was thought to be a pious man. The name also translates to 'hypocrite,' which you can imagine caused quite the conflict back in the day, angering the church to such an extent that the play was actually banned. Moliere stated, however, that his play was not an attack on religion, but on hypocrisy and the ridiculousness of blind faith."

Seeing James in action was an incredible sight. And a massive turn on. My dick began to fill, and I quickly adjusted myself.

James' eyes met mine, and I smirked. He went back to teaching, but not before I saw the small upturn of his lips as well.

The shy parts of him were nowhere to be found when he was teaching. He appeared confident and relaxed. He was patient and kind, and he really made his students think critically about the work instead of just giving them the easy way out. He'd loved classic literature so much when we were in school, and I was so happy that he'd found his calling. We'd both found ways to make careers out of our passions.

That thought got me thinking again.

Careers. The future. My off-season in hockey, which was basically my vacation time, lasted until the end of April when workouts began. They weren't mandatory, but by that time, I was usually ready to jump back into the hockey scene. That gave me about two more months before I had to make any decisions.

I had a photoshoot with Veronica coming up in March, though, that I hadn't mentioned to James yet. Mostly because of his jealousy toward her. I wasn't sure how I was going to approach that subject.

We'd been so damn happy lately, and I didn't want us to go back to not talking to each other. I wouldn't be able to handle it.

XxX

"You want another plate of pancakes?" James' mom, Brooke, asked after approaching our booth in the corner of the diner.

"No, thank you, Mrs. Diamond." I answered, putting a hand on my already stuffed stomach. "Any more and I won't be able to fit into my hockey uniform."

James rolled his eyes as he took another drink of coffee.

"What?" I asked. "It's tight."

"You're tight." He immediately shot back in a sarcastic voice just like we used to do all the time when we were younger. Only this time, it kind of bit us in the ass, and we blushed.

I was definitely tight. The only guy I'd ever let fuck me was James, and it's been a long time since that's happened.

Brooke looked back and forth between us before smiling and walking to another table to refill someone's drink.

James' routine on Saturday was to have breakfast at his parent's diner, and I'd started joining him. In fact, I'd noticed that a lot of his life was routine. Even though he hadn't come out and told me about it, I got the impression he avoided most people. He had a certain schedule he stuck to, one that mostly involved him being alone.

He was afraid to put himself out in the world, and I knew it was because of me. He didn't have to tell me he was afraid of people hurting him. It was clear in his daily life of shielding himself from new experiences. From things and possibly even relationships that'd excite him.

Once upon a time, I'd known him better than I knew myself, and I liked to think I still did to an extent.

"What do you wanna do today?" I asked after taking a drink of orange juice. "Besides me, that is."

James tried-and failed-to stop his smile. "I really need to hit the gym. But after that...I don't know. I'm still reading over the kids' research papers, so I might work on that some."

I nodded before glancing out the window at a red cardinal that had landed on a low-hanging branch. It pecked at something before flying off again.

After the snowstorm we'd had about two weeks before, the weather had begun to feel more like spring, although some days were still chilly. The high was going to be in the sixties today with blue skies and lots of sun. The perfect weather to do something outside. Maybe to get James to be more spontaneous too.

"Okay." I said, returning my gaze to him. "We'll go to the gym after this, and then you're mine for the rest of the day. No more working on school shit or being a hermit in your little cave."

His lips twitched. "I feel like I should be scared. You're not going to throw me into a den of lions or something, right?"

"I haven't decided yet."

"In that case," He said before taking another sip of his coffee. "Let's get the check and get out here."

Done! So it seems that Kames is happy at the moment, but they're kind of dancing around the topic of Kendall leaving again. Plus, we got more of Kendall at the school with James!

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the chapter, as well as if you happened to have a favorite part/moment!

The next chapter will be up sometime this weekend, so you won't have too long of a wait for that!

Until then!

-Epically Obsessed