I Love You

Jason woke shivering and stiff having slept on the dusty wooden floor of the hut where Bart had taken him the previous evening, thankfully they had left a few cans so he had something to drink.

'KNOCK KNOCK'

"How come you're so sure he's here?"

Seth whispered.

"We were here the other night."

"He could have gone to our grans."

"He didn't have any money. KNOCK KNOCK. Jase please let me in?"

There was no point ignoring him. It turned out he knew him too well and he was irritatingly stubborn.

"What?"

He shouted in his face.

"Can we talk?"

"I might leave you guys to it. Seth stuttered scared by the look on his brother's face. Good luck. He patted Bart's shoulder encouragingly. I'll see you later."

He ran as fast as he could in the opposite direction, away from what was destined to be world war three.

"Can I come in?"

"I guess. Jason stepped aside. Can I have a drink?"

"Don't push it."

"You're right. He conceded. I am really sorry."

"What for?"

"Everything about you is clearly Jason, but I fell for you as Jasmine."

"I get it. You're not gay. You can't be with a boy, so what you said last night didn't mean anything."

"I didn't day that."

Bart mumbled sheepishly.

"What does that mean, Bart? You will have to help me understand. You told me you wanted to be with me, you kissed me."

"I know. He sank to the floor burying his head in his hands. I meant what I said. No matter how I look at things or try to tell myself it doesn't make sense I can't stop. I don't want it to. I love you."

"Don't. Jason rose to his feet and started to walk away, but Bart grabbed him. I can't do this. We can't do this."

"Don't I get a say in this?"

"If I thought you meant it I would be the happiest person in the world. You have to move on. Meet someone else."

"I don't want someone else."

"I want you to be happy Bart. I can't give you what you want and one day when some other girl comes along you'll realise you made a mistake."

"I haven't made a mistake."

"Let me go. Please. This is what's best for both of us."

"I'm not letting you leave me like this."

He stood firmly in front of the door blocking his only means of leaving.

"Move."

"No. You're not listening to me."

"There is nothing else for you to say. You said it all when you called me Jasmine."

"And as I have tried to say, I am sorry. It will take some getting used to, but I realised something last night."

"What?"

"I fell in love with you for loads of reasons when I first met you, but not one of them was because you were a girl."

"What do you mean?"

Jason asked suddenly confused.

"I mean I fell for you, because we clicked, you make me laugh, you listen to me and you don't think I am some stupid waste of space."

"You're not any of those things. You're smart, caring and good looking. You have a bright future ahead of you, Bart."

"No, we have a bright future ahead of us."

"You don't understand. What are you going to do when we have to defend our relationship all the time? This is going to be difficult. I don't want you to go through that if you don't have to."

"You don't understand. I love you and I am not afraid to say it."

"Are you sure?"

He answered his question and silenced him with a kiss.