Ryder threw his bag in the corner when he entered his room, before seating himself carefully on the edge of his bed. There was a history test coming up, so he kinda felt like they might be gonna study for that today.

When Jake settled himself carefully down next to him, he was sure that must be the case. He dragged a hand through his hair before turning to face Jake. 'I really can't be fucked studying today.'

Jake just shrugged in response. 'So don't then.'

'But the test – ' He didn't try to argue too hard though. Because if they weren't gonna study, he knew exactly what was gonna happen.

'We'll just bullshit our way through it.' Jake still didn't move, just stared down at his hands on his knees.

Ryder was sick of waiting now though. He turned himself on the bed so that he was facing Jake, before shuffling forward until they were pressed close. He tilted his head down so he could kiss Jake, relieved when Jake turned his head so they could kiss more effectively. He nipped at Jake's lower lip, shoving his tongue into his mouth when Jake opened it in protest. They were almost back to their usual urgency, the messy aggression of teeth and tongues.

That changed in an instant though. Suddenly, Jake was lifting a hand to cup Ryder's face, thumb running gently back and forth over his cheek. It was so deliberate, so caring, that it shocked Ryder into stillness. What the fuck was Jake doing? Jake didn't seem to notice his reaction though, because he continued to kiss Ryder feather-light, lips moving at a much slower pace than usual.

Not knowing what else to do, Ryder matched Jake's gentleness. He wrapped an arm around Jake's back, holding him secure but not too firm. The other hand found its way to Jake's knee, fingers running lightly over faded denim. He felt himself sigh into the kiss, his body's reaction to the calmness and the sweetness of it all. He could feel Jake smiling in response.

Ryder had to admit that this was actually nice, nicer even than when he'd dreamt about it. Having Jake kiss him this way, it felt like Jake was focussing on making him happy, instead of on taking whatever pleasure he could get for himself. He would like to think that he could do the same for Jake.

Jake pulled away then, placing one last kiss to the corner of Ryder's mouth as he let his hand drop to his side. 'We really should study, dude.'

Ryder really, really didn't want to do that. That would involve thinking. He would much rather do something that didn't involve thinking.

Not giving him a choice in the matter, Ryder grabbed the hem of Jake's shirt. He forced it up, over his head, before taking the chance to attach his lips to Jake's chest. His hands roamed over Jake's abs, fingers digging into dents. He could feel Jake's chest reverberate as he moaned.

'Fuck Ry- just – fuck that's so good.' Jake had a hand on the back of Ryder's head now, pulling him down as he fell back against the bed. Ryder used his mouth to explore Jake's chest; nipping, sucking and marking. It was back to their usual pace. Ryder flicked his tongue over a nipple before pulling away slightly.

'Surely this fucking beats studying, man?'

He reattached his mouth immediately, so when Jake answered it was shaky and breathy. 'Y-y-yea.' Silence fell back over them, only filled by needy whines and desperate moans, all while Ryder continued his demanding exploration of Jake's body.

Xxx

Jake didn't know what had gotten into him the other day. He didn't have a clue what possessed him to kiss Ryder like that. Why would he want to change things? They were already amazing the way they were. So why was he treating Ryder like he cared about him? And why did he like it so much?

This was all Matthew's fault. He was sure of it. Matthew had put ideas in his head and now it was making him act weird.

These thoughts were gonna drive him mad. He needed to work out what the fuck was going on. And there was only one person he could turn to.

He found Puck in the locker-room, relieved when no one else seemed to be around. 'Bro, can I talk to you about something?'

Puck looked up from where he was pumping iron. 'Sure, dude. What's up?'

'I just – I need your advice about sex.'

Puck let out a laugh at that. 'Well you definitely came to the right guy. The Puckasaurus knows a thing or two about sex. What do you wanna know?'

'I just – have you ever – are there ever feelings involved when you fuck a girl?' He watched Puck carefully as he spoke, nervous about how he would react.

'Sure, I suppose.' Puck shrugged as he spoke. 'I definitely cared about Quinn. Why, bro? You falling for someone?'

Jake didn't really know how to answer. 'I – uh –I dunno. Maybe?'

'Well, have you told her?'

'No, I haven't. I-I really don't know what to do. Things were so much easier when I could just fool around for the hell of it.'

Puck seemed to think for a moment. 'I'm not sure about that, man. Sure, it's great fucking around with all the Cheerios. But if I had a chance to have something serious with Quinn, shit man, I'd jump on that so fast.'

'I don't know, man.'

'Well, think about it, anyway.' Puck finally put his dumbbells away. 'Look, great talking to you man, but I have to chase after Ryder. The little fucker owes me money.' He pointed towards the lockers, where Ryder was getting changed. Jake really hoped he hadn't heard any of that conversation. Because that would seriously fuck everything up.

Xxx

Ryder was surprised that Jake had come around to his place again. Obviously they were gonna be returning to their study habits now. As he searched through the mess on his desk, he was shocked to feel Jake surge into the space behind him. He was slipping his hands up under Ryder's shirt, running them over his back. His lips were pressing against the back of Ryder's neck. Ryder couldn't help but lean into the pressure.

Obviously this was one last time. One last time before Jake made his move on whatever chick he was crushing on.

'I'm gonna miss this,' he mumbled, as he let his head fall against Jake's shoulder.

Jake pulled his lips away, letting them hover by Ryder's ear. 'What do you mean?'

'I heard you talking to Puck.' Jake groaned noisily. 'I know you've got your eye on some girl. I know you're gonna fuck off so you can chase after her.'

'Shit. You really think that's the case?'

'Yea.' Ryder tried to ignore the way his voice wavered.

'Fuck, dude. I don't want some chick. I was talking about you.'

Ryder pulled away sharply, whirling around to look at Jake. 'Don't fuck around with me. That's not funny.'

'I didn't want this to happen either, dude.' Jake looked defeated. 'I didn't mean to fall for you. Just, let's just forget about this. I'm sorry, Ryder.'

Ryder hated to see Jake looking so pained. And, actually, he'd finally realised he felt the same way. Something about seeing Jake care for him, and then thinking he was gonna lose him. It had kinda hit him hard and fast. So it didn't take much of a decision to press his lips against Jake's sweetly.

When he pulled away, he whispered into the space between them, 'I don't want to forget about this, babe.' He leant back in to kiss Jake once again.

Just one small chapter left to go. I've already written it too, so I'll aim to post it in a day's time.