We're Having A Heat Wave
By Sweet Anne, Anne, Kelly…whatever you know me by, lol
Disclaimer: I have all the Newsies stashed in my closet with Benji, Davey and Tony. Meh, they're all so sexy!!
Summary: What would you do if your girlfriend broke up with you because she realized you were gay? Or because she realized your best friend was in love with you?
Note Heehee, this chapter is dedicated to SpecsGlasses…because she rocks, HAHA!!
Chapter five: Itey
Pie Eater and I met during my senior year of high school. He was a freshman in college and relatively new to the area. I guess he thought going to school here would be a nice change from wherever he was from.
HA, he was so wrong!
But anyway, my brother dragged me to some party the first weekend of September. It was exactly two days after I came out to my family and he was, thankfully, accepting the fact.
Of course, he decided that he'd find me a "nice piece of man-ass" that night, which I knew wouldn't happen, but that's Damian for you.
Needless to say, any frat party that my brother dragged me to was like dental work, but after hanging inside for a while, I decided to go outside.
And that's when I saw him. Even with his back turned to me I could tell he was the most beautiful man alive. The curve of his back as he stretched his shoulders. The way his shirt hung loosely and still managed to bring out every dip and curve of his side. The way his hair was too long and perfect, all at the same time.
Yeah, I was attracted to him from the start. But, when he turned around, it became more then attraction. I just…God, I'm almost certain that I fell for him when his eyes met mine, as clichéd as that sounds.
"Hi," He had said, smiling kindly. That had taken me by surprise because I was just an ugly, gay, Italian high school student. But I smiled back.
"Hey," I responded quietly, finding some fragment of a backbone and taking a step forward.
Before I say anything else, this isn't one of those stories where the two people fall madly in love and kiss. I wish!
No, he just kept smiling until he noticed my t-shirt. HA, the one Damian had said wasn't appropriate for a college party.
"You like AFI?" He asked, practically beaming. I nodded, my smile growing as he began talking about seeing them in concert.
And that's how it went with us. When I graduated high school, he was the first one to congratulate me, even though he wasn't family. When I learned that he and I would be going to be at the same college, he rented my favorite movie and watched it with me…four times.
I loved him so much more then I should have. It broke my heart every time he found a new girlfriend and it hurt even more when she dumped him. And that's all they ever did. They just dumped him. He was either too quiet or too wholesome or too kind. He was never perfect enough for any of these girls. I wanted to scream that I'd never hurt him like they all did.
But I didn't. I just played the role of the best friend, comforting him each time some tramp broke his heart and praying that he'd realize on his own that I was the only one who'd love him enough to never leave him.
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It was just after midnight when I heard someone knocking on my apartment door. With the combination of rain pounding on the roof and me blasting "Addicted" through my stereo, I'm surprised I even heard the tapping. I felt the knocking more then I actually heard it, but that comes from knowing who was on the other side of the door.
I just know when Pie's around. I'm like a frickin compass pointing to…well…him.
"Who is it?" I called, even though I knew who stood in the hallway outside my room. I walked across the room to turn off the Simple Plan CD I had been using to drown my sorrows and then crossed over to the door.
"It's me…Pie."
I quickly unlocked and opened the door, shocked at the image before me. Instead of the bright eyes and brilliant smile I had expected, tear-stained cheeks and trembling lips met me, "Pie…Pie, are you alright?" I asked, my eyes widening slowly as I put a hand on his shoulder. He was ice cold.
I moved away from the door to let him in, his tall frame moving through the threshold, "Yeah…I'm great," He said slowly, wiping his cheek with the back of his hand, "I just needed to talk to you…" He bit his lip slowly, noticing that I was wearing a pair of loose-fitting pajama pants and a white wife beater, "Oh man…I wasn't thinking about the time. I'm sorry…you're getting ready for bed."
I quickly shook my head, frowning as he began to walk back towards the door, "Don't be stupid, ok? I was just getting comfortable, you know? To read and…stuff. I have nothing to do tomorrow, anyway," I motioned towards the couch, "Sit down, ok? I'm always here when you need to talk, you idiot!"
He hesitated a second before taking off his raincoat and sitting on the black monstrosity in the middle of my living room. I sat back in the chair I had been lounging in before, right across from him. We always sat like this when he came over, but it felt so much different now. He had always been smiling when we sat together. Something was seriously wrong with him and, God, did it rip out my heart by not knowing what it was.
"Um…so what's up?" I asked slowly, not sure what to do. I had an idea of what had brought him here, but never, in all the time I've known him, had something like this brought him to tears.
"I just wanted to talk to you…needed to, actually," He said, wiping his cheek again and sniffling. He looked me straight in the eye after doing so and I felt like I was being interrogated. I was actually waiting for someone to shove an intense light in my face.
"A…about what?" I asked as slowly as I could without making my fear obvious. I seriously had never seen him looking so determined. He looked both at the verge of tears and about to rip out my throat.
Great combination, eh?
His eyes still boring into mine, he licked his lips and then asked, "Why didn't you ever tell me you were in love with me??"
Insert long, drawn-out, overly dramatic pause that lasts an hour in a movie but is, in all actuality, only a few seconds long right…here.
Neither of us moved for what seemed like a decade and my mind was racing trying to think of what I could say, if anything. Pie just sat there, eyes still on mine, his hands folded as he patiently waited for a response. My mouth simply opened and then closed again.
Finally, after I was positive he had drilled a hole through the back of my head with his stare, his eyes dropped to his shoes, "That's mostly why I'm here. Erin…she broke up with me…because she realized that you were in love with me. Well, that's what she thinks…" He looked back up at me, his eyes soft and innocent, "Was she right?"
I finally found it in me to speak and, of course, the first thing to come to mind was a blatant lie, "Pie…I don't know what Erin told you, but I haven't felt that way for a long time. I love you, don't get me wrong. But as my best friend…" I hesitated before leaning forward and touching his arm lightly. He…God, it looked like he smiled. Impossible! He's straight, "I realized that loving you the way I did was…was like living a fantasy, you know? A lie. So I accepted that I'd never be more then a friend to you."
"You could've told me, though! You know you can tell me anything!" He really did look pissed, which was so rare for Pie that I sighed.
"Look at us. You…God, Pie, you're every girl's dream. You're sensitive and beautiful, so full of love and emotion that sometimes it's hard to talk to you without wanting to cry. Every word that you say is poetry. What girl wouldn't want a guy like you?? And then there's me! I'm just everyone's friend! I'm the stupid Italian who hides in the back of the classroom and melts into a white wall wearing all black! I could never compete with any of those girls…I was never what you were looking for!" Don't cry, voi bambino, don't you dare cry!
Pie started rubbing his forehead with his hand and I knew for a fact that he was trying not to get mad, "Jesus, Itey!! Why do you always do that?? You make it seem like I'm this amazing, undefeatable god, while, in all actuality, you're the one I admire. You're the one I wish I could be more like. In your shadow, I'm nothing at all, and that's the way I like it. You're the most accomplished and intelligent person that I know," He sighed, closing his eyes for a second before looking back over at me. I turned to avoid his gaze, "You challenge me at every turn, Itey. You put me in my place when I need it. You keep me in line, for Christ's sake!!"
"Pie, stop it. You don't need to lie," I muttered, burying my head in my hands.
"Itey...I don't lie to you. I wouldn't and you know that. You've just...you've always made it seem like you were above loving anyone. That you were happy being who you were. Being alone. And I realize that it was all an act. That you, like everyone else, craved that physical, emotional and spiritual feeling of love. A mutual love. An unconditional love!" He bit his lip, his chin quivering slightly, "I know I've been looking for it all my life. And what really hurts me is...is that it's been right in front of me since a stupid frat party my freshman year of college."
My eyes widened and I jumped from my chair, "Don't!" I started moving backwards, trying to get as far from his as I could, "I don't need your pity, Pie! I don't want you to feel sorry for me! You're straight and perfect...and I understand that! But don't mock me by lying! I don't need it!"
He started drumming on his knees, "For starters, I'm not straight, you idiot. Erin helped me realized just how frickin gay I am!!"
I cut him off before he could continue, "You are not!! You like women!!"
"Yeah, women with penises!!" He said, voice raised, "And another thing...I don't need to lie to you. I happen to love you."
"This...we...you're nuts!" I started pacing, shaking my head and keeping my eyes on the ground, "You don't love me...I mean...not the way I do. You think of me as a friend...a...a companion! Besides...you know too much about me! We're too comfortable together. I want..." God, what did I want? Besides him, of course? "...I want to be swept off my feet by something so shocking that I can't breathe for days after being in contact with it! I want to be cherished and caressed...and...I want to be told I'm the one! God, I want to be loved so badly that we both physically hurt when we're not together!! But…no, I cannot believe that, just because you're having a mid-life crisis or something, you're suddenly in love me!" I was starting to get really angry now, "I'm just supposed to…to leap into your arms because you've finally quit being a moron and realized that the person who'll love you most has always been right in front of you?? I mean…but…"
"Stop it!!" It was definitely his turn to be angry, "I'm not as big of a moron as you think!! I don't feel sorry for you or pity you! I've just…I've always loved you!! I've been an idiot, but I'm willing to admit this now. I. Love. You." He stood from his seat, walking over to me and sending me a heart-wrenching look of pain. Slowly he raised a hand to touch my cheek and I shuddered.
Tears began forming in my eyes, "You're going to break my heart," I pulled away, taking a step back, "I can't let us do this!" I sidestepped my way back to the chair and sat down. Pie followed suit and sat across from me on the couch, "You're desperate. You're going through a mid-life crisis! I don't know…you're fucking biological clock is ticking!!" I threw up my arms in desperation.
Pie stared for a second, his mouth open, and then he burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter, "You're completely out of your mind and I love you for it!"
I winced, hiding my face in my hands, "You have to stop saying that!! We can't do this. I can't let myself do this!"
I felt him sit on the arm of the chair, his hand slowly running up and down my arm, "Why not? It's not like we have anything to lose."
I slowly shook my head, "No…no, you're so wrong. We have everything to lose!" I dared to look at him, then, and fighting my tears was almost unbearable, "I can't lose my best friend, my family, just because my feelings are almost too strong to keep under control. Losing you would kill me, Pie. You're all I have," I was shaking so violently that I thought I might pass out.
I whimpered as Pie wrapped me into a hug, but didn't fight him. His arms were comforting, "Alright," He whispered into my hair, "I won't push you. But let me stay the night."
I pulled away from him, "What?"
"No," He said with a laugh, "I meant on the couch. It's pouring outside and I don't think my car'll work with this much water. I'll be a perfect gentleman, I promise!" I raised my eyebrows and he laughed some more, "Scout's honor!"
I smacked his shoulder lightly, smiling slowly, "You were never a scout!"
He pouted, grabbing the spot where I'd hit him and pretending to truly be hurt, "You wouldn't kick me out into the cold, wet streets after crippling me, would you??"
I laughed, "Want to bet?"
He smiled, placing a hand on my thigh and squeezing, "Yeah, I'll bet."
My eyes widened and I stood from my chair, walking into the kitchen and grabbing a bottle of water. I downed half the bottle before looking up and seeing Pie smiling in the entranceway, "Hey…um…is it ok for me to stay?"
I nodded slowly, closing the cap of the water bottle and setting it on the counter, "Yeah, I was only joking before. It's not a problem."
"Ok, just give me a blanket and a pillow and I'll be out of your hair until morning," He said, walking over to the couch and bending to remove the pillows. I rushed over and grabbed his hand as he reached for one.
"Hey, this couch sucks. We can share my bed," I walked into my bedroom and started fixing extra blankets and pillows onto one side.
"Um…are you sure?" Pie asked, still standing by the couch in the living room. I laughed and dragged him into the room.
"Dude, you're still my best friend. I still trust you and everything you say," I sat at the edge of my bed and slipped under the covers while Pie raised an eyebrow.
"Not everything I say," He muttered, sitting down with his back to me. I watched him remove his shirt before I rolled onto my side and faced the wall.
"Your delusions of love haven't changed who you are, psico," I said with a laugh, feeling him slide under the covers and kick my leg.
"What the hell does psico mean??" He asked, jabbing a finger into my back until I turned to face him. I laughed quietly, seeing his smile in the dim light of a streetlamp streaming through the cracks in the blinds.
"I'll tell you in the morning," I murmured, snuggling into the blankets.
"Goodnight, Itey," He said, shivering a little bit. I propped myself up on one elbow and realized how cold he had to be since he wasn't wearing a shirt.
"You want another blanket?" I asked, waiting a moment for his reply before crawling across the bed and pressing myself against his back, one arm wrapped around his chest.
I heard a sigh escape his lips, "Itey…what are you doing?"
I laughed quietly as his hand reached up to take hold of mine, "Keeping you warm," I whispered. I felt him nod as he settled deeper into my arms.
"Goodnight Itey."
"Night," I said softly, stroking the back of his hand with my thumb.
After a few moments, his voice rang through the darkness of the room, "I love you."
I kicked him before I muttered, "Shut up." I couldn't fight back the smile, though, when he squeezed my hand and I slipped under the blanket of sleep.
Rain was still drumming on the roof when I woke up the next morning. I started to wipe the sleep out of my eyes when I heard a voice say, "Good morning, beautiful."
Pie was propped up slightly on one elbow, this calm, happy smile on his face.
"God, what were you doing?" I gasped for air, sitting up as best as I could. His smile widened slightly and he shrugged.
"I just like watching you sleep. You're like an angel."
"Yeah, an ugly one," I replied, lowering my eyes slightly and pulling at a loose thread in the sheet.
I felt Pie tip my chin up gently with his finger and I met a pair of passionate eyes that made me shiver, "No. A beautiful one."
I groaned, sinking back under the blanket, knowing for a fact that my hair had gravity-defying qualities and my face was covered in pillow creases. Peaking over the edge of the blanket, I saw that he looked amazing, even though he, too, had just woken up. His hair was tousled and his eyes were still glassy from sleep. He moved over slightly to pull the blanket away from my face, "Come on. I didn't get a goodnight kiss, so I at least deserve a good morning one." A teasing glint flashed through his eyes and I smiled.
"You're insane!" I said, running a hand through my ratty hair. I wished he would at least look the other way so I could brush the rat's nest on top of my head!
Slowly his bottom lip moved forward to form a pout. And he widened his eyes to increase the bullshit innocence he was trying to pull off. Meh…come on, Itey…say no. Ignore the fact that you've never wanted to kiss anyone so badly in your life…ignore, dammit!!!
"Itey, how dangerous could it be? It's only a kiss."
Ha, only a kiss to him. It's an entire LIFE for me. This was really it. It was the moment where, if we kissed and laughed in each other's faces afterwards, our entire friendship would be down the drain. Or if we thought it felt right, we'd be meant for each other, right? If we saw fireworks and felt Cupid shooting us in the ass…
Wait…what the hell am I talking about. Screw logic!
I swallowed hard, moistening my lips quickly as I gazed into his eyes. This wasn't a joke to me.
And, just by looking into his eyes, I knew it wasn't a joke to him either. He was serious as hell about wanting to kiss me, but… "Pie, do you love me?" I asked, chewing on my bottom lip until I was positive it would fall off.
And, with this nervous, retarded Italian laying next to him, all he could do was smile. Beautifully smile, "More then you'll ever know. There aren't enough words to express how happy just lying here, with you, makes me. I love you with everything I have, everything I can give! You're everything to me, Itey…I've always loved you…"
He was going to say more. I could tell. It was just that I didn't really want to hear what he had to say.
Kissing him seemed like such a better idea. And, believe me, it was.
He pulled me against his chest, his hand lying just underneath my wife beater and massaging the skin at the small of my back. I was overwhelmed by how warm he was, how sweet he tasted. How beautiful his eyes were when I opened mine and saw him gazing back at me, this amazing passion glazed over the smooth brown.
My heart stopped beating when he pulled away and I just thought, for that second, that he was regretting this. But he wasn't. I could tell by the hug he pulled me into.
He had meant it.
All of it.
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It's a ritual in my house to go home for birthdays, no matter where you happen to be at the time.
So, obviously, when my birthday rolled around (June 14th,) I had no choice but to make the ten-minute drive from our apartment to my parent's house.
And, yes, I did say "our apartment." Pie moved in with me exactly three hours after our first kiss. Believe me, that boy works fast…in more then one way.
Not that I'm complaining.
…Off topic…ok…my birthday. Yeah, that's where we were. Well, I had decided to…um…show Pie my old bedroom after we had eaten my cake. Mama, Papa, Damian and a few of his friends were all downstairs, watching whatever sports game was on TV.
And Pie was more then eager to see if my bed was worthy of our presence.
Don't be a pervert!! I don't mean like that!!
He was jumping on my bed, like the five-year-old he was at times, laughing insanely when I attacked his legs and caused him to topple down on top of me.
Which led to kissing…which somehow, though I'm too innocent to know how, led to me being shirtless…which led to the door bursting open and Damian laughing victoriously.
"I told you!! I SO told you!!" He said, pointing at his friend by his side. Damian's friend, might I add, did not look happy with me. Especially not when he handed Damian what looked like a fifty-dollar bill.
"Dude, you just lost me a lot of money," He glowered before walking out of the doorway.
"You…you guys were betting on us?" Pie stuttered, his eyes slightly wide. Damian laughed.
"It's not like it was much of a gamble…for me at least."
End
Next Chapter: Swifty plus a gay chat room equals… MUAH HA HA!
Anne: *is melting* Oh dear God…just the idea of Pie shirtless…and Itey in a wife beater. Meh…
Blatantly Gay!Spot: I have to agree…SEX ON LEGS!!!!!
Busted-Knee! Jack: SPOT!!!!!!
BG! S: *sheepishly* Sorry…you're double the sex on legs, Jacky-boy…like Doublemint gum!!!
SOs
Nakaia Aidan-Sun: Awesome? Really? Heehee, thankies, dear!! You make me feel special!! LOL, I continued!! WOO! One more chapter and then it's finished. After that, it's my Skittery/Snitch fic. That'll be interesting. Hope you like it when it's out!
Imaginelet: LOL, I love you for loving it!! WOO!! And I honestly don't think it's that funny…but, like the lovely SpecsGlasses pointed out, I'm my harshest critic…so that explains that ^ __ ^ I'm glad the Fiddler On The Roof bit had you laughing, though. WOO
Zip1899: Houston, we have a favorite chapter notification! Code Blue! Code Blue!! Send in back up!! Next chapter!! Roger, roger!!! HAHA, I'm so weird!
Thistle: Heehee, that chapter was totally for you, babe!! I'm glad you liked it. And the AFI and Rancid snippets were also for you, though I loved throwing them into my story. Mmm…Davey, Davey, Davey!! NO VIOLENCE!! WOO I'm saved! LMAO, I sent you an email telling you about the continuation of the Spot/Jack chapter, so you know about that…hope you enjoy this one!!!!
Studentnumber24601: LOL, I made squeak-free Jack and Spot, WOO!! I am proud of that, actually, as odd as that may seem… HA. And Race is the best matchmaker ever!! Though I really like him as a drummer *hint, hint, wink, wink, nudge…etc.* Wow…I'm a dork…oh well.
P.S.-Matchmaker! Race is available to rent for the low, low price of…um…a cranberry muffin ^ _______ ^
Shadowlands: Oh man…27 degrees Celsius is…what…seventies, eighties? I'm not sure. I'm a Fahrenheit girl, lol. But that has got to be warm! Meh…it's so cold here. Forty degrees!! I can't feel my fingers after going outside :( LMAO, but Racetrack is ALWAYS cool, so I live.
Artemis-chan of Redwing: You find my little matchmaker interesting, eh? Ha, that's good to know. Though, I dare say, he will be a bachelor for a while longer. I think I'm going to side-pairing him in my Skittery/Snitch fic when I write it…who knows, lol?
AND Skittery and Denial!Snitch have been successfully mailed to…your…um…somewhere in your general area…which means somewhere in the continental united states, LMAO!!
Gothic Author: LOL, thought you'd like that little pink towel Such a great image, right? Heehee, I'm glad you aren't going to kill me.
SpecsGlasses: Oh god…what the hell can I say to you?? For starters, you're INSANE!! You reviewed four frickin times, you nut!!!! Oy…HAHA, I love you for it. Your reviews made me laugh so much, too. Jeez…well…just so you don't kill me, I'm going to send this out. WEOOO!!!!! Oh, and Diabetic!Specs is a great obsession to have, lol. I have one with him, too…though we need to fight Dutchy for him!