Craig chucked a steak into the shopping cart. "So," he began. "How does Delirious look like?"
Evan sighed and lay a carton of eggs into the cart, biting his lip gently. A part of him was determined to not answer the question, yet a part of him wanted to be honest. He wrestled with the choices for a minute, and decided on the vaguest description he could find.
"Jonathan just looks like a person."
A package of sausages slipped itself into the cart as Craig came back towards Evan with a dubious look on his face.
"Jonathan, eh? I didn't remember you two being on a first name basis."
"It's a rather recent development," Evan admitted.
"And what does he call you? Evan? Or does he stick to Vanoss like he always does until he slips up?"
"What are you trying to get at?
"He's the only person that insists on addressing you as 'Vanoss', isn't he? All of us call you by your first name except him. He's pretty dead set on calling us all by our nicknames – until we make him slip up, that is – so is he or is he not calling you Evan now?"
Evan placed a pack of sausages into the cart thoughtfully. It would be a question he would ask Jonathan later – why was he so insistent on the usage of everyone's nicknames, including his own, despite the fact that everyone knew the names of everyone in the group?
"So?" Craig probed once more. "Evan or Vanoss?"
"He calls me Evan, okay?" Evan snapped.
"And you haven't answered my first question, either. How does he look like?"
"Like I said, he looks like a person."
"I'll be clearer – is he gorgeous?" Craig asked, his eyes staring straight into Evan's seriously, as though they were searching for something in his eyes. Evan stared back, unintimidated.
"Maybe he is."
He felt Craig's eyes remain firmly on his back as he proceeded to throw in a few more cuts of meat into the shopping cart. As Evan returned towards Craig, he almost exploded.
"Evan! You're bewitched!" Craig half-yelled, causing a few fellow shoppers to stare in their direction before returning to their own businesses.
"What the hell are you talking about?!" Evan retorted in a hushed voice.
"The guys are right! You've got a – a thing for Delirious or something like that!"
"No, I don't!"
"You sure do. You said that he might be gorgeous but you sure as hell didn't look like you thought he wasn't."
"Where the hell did that come from? He's just a cool guy, a good friend that I recently got to know even better. You're making it sound like he came all the way here to cast some weird spell on me or something like that."
Craig turned and walked away for a moment, before he returned with a small bag of potatoes. He spoke once more, the agitation in his voice gone.
"You know, in all of the time that I've known you, this is the first time you've ever spoken of anyone like that."
"What –"
"No, listen," Craig interjected. "I've never heard you speak of anyone like that, or even become overly defensive over someone in your life. Even when you talk about Sarah... it's not the same."
"I'm defensive?" Evan asked incredulously.
"You sound like a kid who's afraid to have his toy taken away from him. Or a father afraid that his daughter would see all the wrong guys. Just… really protective and defensive. I've never seen you like that before. Not even with Sarah."
Evan gaped at Craig for a moment, and turned in silence, walking to another section of the supermarket quickly. He heard Craig hurry behind him for a short while, before his footsteps faded into nothingness.
"Craig?" He called out, spinning around as he looked for him. "Craig?"
He was nowhere to be seen. Annoyed, Evan began to fill the rest of the shopping cart on his own with groceries for the weekend. It was only after he had checked out at the counter and paid for all the groceries did he see Craig, standing at the entrance and smiling at him deviously.
"You just wanted to avoid paying for these, didn't you?"
Craig laughed, and extended a hand. "If it makes you feel better about your worthy sacrifice, I'll help you carry some of these."
"You prick." Evan bit at him, and then laughed.
"Consider it a worthy sacrifice to shut me up."
"Thank God for that, then."
"It doesn't mean, however, that the guys will shut up about it, or that I will stop thinking about it."
Evan rolled his eyes and headed towards the car. Thank god for the holiday.
Two figures walked in the distance, their shoulders almost touching, their lips moving rapidly but silently, as though they were deep in a somber discussion. As the sun set behind them,
"Load the rest of the stuff we're not going to use into the fridge, can you?" Evan called out to Craig distractedly, his eyes focused on the approaching silhouettes through the glass sliding doors of the house. He slid a door open and went out towards them with his eyes fixated only on one of the men. As he drew closer, the pair of ocean blue eyes became clearer and clearer.
"Evan!" Luke called out as Evan stopped in front of the duo. "Is Craig in there too?"
Evan nodded, and looked at Jonathan whilst Luke raced ahead into the house. He was silent, but his blue eyes spoke a world of words and expressed an overwhelming anxiousness.
"It's okay," Evan softly murmured. "It'll be fine, okay? Craig knows better than to do anything stupid about you or your identity. He also knows when and where to keep a low profile. It'll be fine."
Evan gently grabbed his shoulders and squeezed them assuredly. He watched as Jonathan's head snapped up, looking towards his, and slowly, the worry in his eyes dissipated, with warmth replacing it. Evan smiled, and led him towards the house. He felt as Jonathan's shoulders tensed up again, and he whispered softly –
"Slow, deep breaths, okay? He's not going to eat you up."
Craig stood by the sliding doors with Luke, his eyes widening as Evan approached with Jonathan by his side. His eyes darted up and down the man's body, examining every detail he could focus on all at once.
"Uh, Craig?" Evan began. "This is Jonathan, or rather… someone you know as Delirious."
"Hi, Mini." Jonathan said in a small voice.
"Holy shit." Craig blurted out. "Are you sure you didn't just bag some guy from Santa Monica Beach and bring him here?"
"Yeah, we totally did. We made sure we got the most unconvincing guy so you'll think it's him." Luke drawled, the sarcasm playing on his voice.
Evan watched Jonathan shift his gaze uncomfortably. I need to make him feel like they're not strangers, he thought, and glanced at Luke desperately for help.
Luke was quick on the intake. "Hey Johnathan, didn't you have something you wanted to tell Craig in person before? From way back?"
"Oh, uh…" Jonathan paused. "Hey, Mini… I want foooood."
In mere split seconds, Craig dove ahead and hugged Jonathan tight. "Good God, that's the last thing I wanted to hear, but… nice to finally meet you… Jonathan."
Craig quickly released Jonathan, frowning. "Why the fuck did you keep that pretty face from us, even?!"
"Because of idiots like you," Luke ribbed. "Can we get the grill started? We're actually fuckin' starving."
"I'm hungry, I want foooood." Jonathan repeated, a smile playing on his lips now.
"DAMN IT, DELIRIOUS!" Craig yelled as he turned back towards the house.
It's all right now, Evan thought. Jonathan turned back abruptly towards Evan as he walked up the path, and hesitated for a moment, before he came running back to Evan's side.
"What? Are you freaked out again?"
"No," Jonathan beamed. "I forgot to thank you."
"What got you so scared all of a sudden, though? You were perfectly fine when you met me, even when it was Nate."
"I just – just started thinking on the way here… first it's you, now it's Mini, and soon it'll be everyone else, and very soon the whole world will come to know me, to the point I can't even breathe anymore. It sounds stupid, doesn't it?"
"Very. You're overthinking it. Unusual for someone like you who barely thinks."
"Fuck you. And you sound like Luke, so make that double." Jonathan bit back, grinning, and he turned away, running towards the house with a spring in every step, this time with Evan trailing behind him.
As they entered the house, Craig's voice instantly echoed loudly through the room, and they were met with a chaotic scene.
"I got the food – FUCK YOU, LUKE!"
Luke ran past in front of them and disappeared through another door, a heavy grocery bag filling his hands. Craig quickly chased after him, yelling, "You are NOT having all the god damn meat to yourself!"
A soft giggle came from Evan's side. "Okay, where do I put my bag down while those idiots are at it?"
"Uh, right – the room."
Evan gestured for Jonathan to follow after him, and proceeded up a flight of stairs into a long hallway. On opposite walls were two doors, both ajar, with one farther down the hallway and the other closer to the entrance of the hallway.
"That one," Evan said, pointing towards the door closer to them as they walked past it, "is going to be Luke and Craig's room. Which will be useful because Craig's a terrible drunk. I know you've never actually seen it, but I think you've heard it first-hand before."
They walked further inwards towards the end of the hallway, and into a room, simply decorated with light furnishings. Facing the door was a window, with a set of thick red curtains adorning it. Two single beds lay side by side, with a small end table separating them. Another door lay within the room, slightly open, revealing a set of white ceramic tiles covering the floor.
"And this… is ours. The two of us will have to share the bathroom, so please don't take forever in there when I need it. Oh, and the bed opposite the bathroom door is yours."
"Why did you get to choose your bed first?" Jonathan sulked.
"Because I came first."
"I bet you tell that to all your girls." Jonathan retorted, prompting Evan to roll his eyes at his back as he proceeded to throw his bag down on the ground next to his bed. As he straightened back up and turned towards Evan, he licked his lips quickly –
"Shall we go? I'm starving, and Luke is probably going to eat all the meat if we don't hurry."
"Does he always do that?" Evan muttered as they hurried down the stairs, their feet tapping quickly against the wooden steps.
"He stole all the pepperonis off my pizza once," Jonathan replied darkly. "I just walked away to get a drink and they were all gone."
As they turned towards the door that Luke previously disappeared out of, they were greeted by a beautiful view. The moon had begun to take the place of the sun, reflecting light into the pool that sat in the middle of the platform that the porch led out to. Adorning the pool were lounge chairs, white against the dark porcelain of the ground, as well as lights that illuminated the pool with a light blue glow.
The beauty was soon overtaken by chaos as Craig's voice rang out shrilly by them, chiding Luke once more.
"GOD DAMN IT LUKE, SAVE SOME SAUSAGES FOR THEM!"
"YOU SAVE YOUR SAUSAGE FOR THEM!" Luke roared back, humor in his face as he ran off towards the pool with a half-eaten sausage clasped between his teeth.
"He just ate the entire first pack of sausages. Just like that, it's gone. Poof." Craig huffed, gesturing angrily with his arms.
"Good, then we'll drink up his Coke." Jonathan determined, and reached for the sole bottle of cola and a small plastic cup. Evan stared incredulously at him, unsure of what he was doing, but an increasingly evil grin upon Jonathan's face spelt out all that he needed to know.
He watched as Jonathan poured out a generous amount of Coke into the cup, and carefully, he sashayed down the steps of the porch and onto the dark porcelain ground.
"Luke," he heard Jonathan call out, his voice sickeningly sweet. "Have some Coke."
"Aw, thanks, man."
"Do ask if you want more. I'll just be there by the porch, okay?"
Jonathan turned, his smile growing as he ran back towards Evan and Craig. As he approached through the growing smoke of the grill, he whispered hurriedly to them both.
"Gimme the booze. Just top up the rest of the Coke bottle with it. And then he can't drink it anymore, even if he asked."
"Geez, Delirious, you're evil." Craig grinned, and began to pour the alcohol into the partially-filled bottle, filling it to the brim.
"That's… quite a bit of alcohol, though." Evan murmured as he watched the pair enact out their plan.
"We've bought more than enough to get us drunk."
"I'm not worried about that," Evan replied. "Can you take that much alcohol?"
He watched as the man hesitated for a moment, uncertainty evident on his face.
"I'll deal with it somehow. At least I won't be as drunk as you two will be. You're both basically alcoholics, what with this much booze." Jonathan laughed nervously, and changed the subject. "Anyway, the steaks smell good. Can I have a piece?"
Evan sighed, and broke open a bottle of beer, feeling the odd combination of bitterness, cold and heat seep through his mouth and throat as he drank. It felt almost natural to drink when he was out at parties and in public bars, but in the presence of Jonathan on that quiet night, the drink felt foreign in his hand, almost like a weapon that he could not use.
A plate filled with steak slices, skewers and sausages appeared before his eyes. Evan looked up to see Jonathan smiling at him. "Take it."
"Why? I mean, you got it, so you eat it."
"I'm being nice. Take it. Treat it as thanks for earlier this week." He gently pushed the plate towards his face, and Evan accepted reluctantly. Earlier this week. He smiled to himself at the sheer memory, a tender feeling tingling at his fingertips.
"Jonathan, is there any more Coke left?"
"Noooope." Jonathan drawled, and giggled. "Oh, you mean what I'm drinking? Nah, that's Coke and boo-ooze."
Luke stared at Jonathan momentarily as Craig and Evan began to crack up uncontrollably, before he realized that he had been had. He flipped him the bird in annoyance and turned to storm off towards his spot by the pool, grumbling to himself.
"Aw, Luke is grumpy that someone finished up his Coke?" Craig called out, his mirth soon taking over.
"Fuck y'all!" Luke called back, prompting the three men to laugh even harder.
The night had shifted – the sky was darker than it could ever be, with the moon and the stars shining clearly in the cloudless sky. Around them, the lights seemed to grow stronger, creating a parade of shimmers on the surface of the pool. The flames of the grill had begun to die down, and the plates were cleared and cleaned. All that was left to do was to enjoy the rest of the first night of their holiday together.
Jonathan settled himself on the steps of the front porch, inhaling the cool night air slowly and exhaling calmly. He was beginning to truly relax and feel at home despite the fact that he was miles away from the comfort and warmth of his own home. He had barely thought of Liselle ever since the last dream he had of her, and even the mere thought of her did not bother him. It might all just be over.
He felt pressure on the steps and heard it creak as Evan sat down beside him, cracking open a new bottle of beer.
"You've barely made a dent in the drink," he commented coolly.
"And you? This is what, your tenth bottle?"
"Fourth. Surprisingly few as compared to how many I usually down by now. Craig's the on his seventh and I think he's starting to get wasted."
Behind them, Craig mumbled, slurring, "I can hear you guys… I'm not drunk, oka-ay."
"Sure thing," Evan replied dismissively and rolled his eyes, taking another mouthful of beer in his mouth.
Jonathan stared down at his bottle. "I've never actually really had booze before. I've only had booze mixed with something else, and never this much before."
"Hmm. And here I am, drinking ever since I came out of high school." Evan murmured. "We're so different sometimes, I wonder how we became friends."
"Yeah, how did that happen, anyway?"
"I don't know, some random guy named H2O Delirious messaged me one day saying I'm pretty damn cool and asked if I wanted to play. I was flattered and I accepted despite his videos being complete shit." Evan laughed. He raised his bottle slightly, and whispered, "Cheers to our friendship."
Jonathan smiled, and tipped the neck of his bottle towards Evan's. "Cheers."
A protracted silence followed as the two men took a long, large gulp of their drinks.
The night soon became a blur as Evan and Craig continued to empty bottle after bottle, eventually culminating in a playful little brawl in the living room of the house. Cushions were thrown around and used as weaponry to attack each other with, and yells resounded all about the house.
Jonathan himself was feeling rather tipsy as he finished off the last of his own drink. His limbs felt loose, as though he was a marionette lifted by strings. As he tried to maneuver his way around the cushions now strewn on the ground, he wobbled slightly with each step, as though he was walking on the cushions themselves. His head buzzed ever so gently, and he approached the two men half-collapsed on the now cushion-less couch.
"You two should just go to bed."
"Nnnn-nooo." Craig garbled, waving his arms about in confusion. "I don't-sch wanna go to bed."
"Luke!" Jonathan called out weakly. The man shot a dark glance into the house, and hollered, "What?!"
"Craig's wasted and needs the bed!"
Luke got out of his spot and trudged towards the house, grumbling obscenities under his breath. Upon entering the house, Jonathan grinned sheepishly at him as he took in the sight of the mess.
"Just get him in bed and get some rest yourself. We'll clean this all up tomorrow." Jonathan said, and Luke slung Craig's arm around his own shoulder.
"C'mon buddy. Time for bed."
"Noooo…I haven't –hic- beat Evan yet-sch."
The two slowly vanished up the stairs, and Jonathan listened as Craig protested feebly against Luke's exhausted coaxing. As the protesting died down, Evan groaned softly and smiled stupidly at Jonathan.
"You, too. Time for bed." Jonathan instructed, and shuffled about switching off all sources of light, before heading back to lift Evan from his seat.
"Y'know, I can probably carry you." Evan mumbled woozily as Jonathan stumbled slightly in an attempt to support Evan's large frame.
"I'm not doubting that. But you're wrecked, so let me help you. Come on. First step up the stairs, so watch your feet."
Evan murmured an incomprehensible reply, and Jonathan felt him lean against his body for support as he dragged his legs wearily up the steps. As they finally conquered the final step, Evan whispered softly –
"I haven't been this drunk since… since Halloween… I think."
"Yeah, you have some sobriety issues. Come on, a little bit more and you can lie down and sleep. Move your legs!"
"Hnnh… you're not getting it. I mean… Halloween… I wasn't happy drunk, you know? I feel so happy now."
"Sure thing. A few more steps," Jonathan assured. A few more steps before I pass out and get crushed by him, that is.
"Like… like I'm flying."
"I heard that's how everyone feels when they're drunk or high. So there's that."
"No… I mean… like… oomph!"
No less than a few moments after Jonathan could shut the door and hurriedly press the on switch on the air conditioning remote, his limbs gave way and whatever that remained of his strength left him, sending the two falling onto Evan's bed, with Jonathan's arm trapped underneath his heavy body and Evan's face half-buried in Jonathan's neck.
"You're weak," Evan whined softly.
"I'm tipsy, and you're heavy." Jonathan bit back.
He heard Evan giggle. "Hi Tipsy. I'm Evan." After a short pause, he continued. "First kiss."
Jonathan gazed down at him, confused. "What?"
"Be honest about it. When was your first kiss?"
He felt his heart take off. "Why?"
Evan gazed up at him, his eyes half-closed, pleading, and his cheeks gently red. "Because I feel like I haven't gotten to know you properly, even after so long. Please? First kiss."
Jonathan hesitated, and then answered brusquely, "Seventeen."
"Mine was fourteen," Evan murmured. "First weed?"
"Never tried smoking weed before. Despite all the weed jokes."
"Hmm. I was eighteen. First post-game celebration in college." He leaned closer towards Jonathan, his soft lips gently brushing against his ear, and whispered, "Lost your virginity."
Jonathan felt his heart take off in his chest. A part of him wanted to avoid the question entirely, yet the tipsy, fun-loving part of him egged him on. It was a long moment before he finally answered.
"Eighteen."
"Mmhm. Sounds like you had a good last two years of high school. I was fifteen."
"We've got an early bloomer here, huh?" Jonathan teased.
An uncomfortable laugh came from the depths of Evan's chest. "Yeah… But sometimes, just sometimes… it feels like… like I haven't lived for myself, like it's not me. All my life I've done things other people wanted me to do. It feels like I haven't ever lived the way I wanted. It was always for my parents, for the team, for this girl and then that girl…After a while it just became so easy, you know? To be this way. To be someone for everyone. To be that guy every girl wants to date, the guy that everyone wants to be. To be that guy that's cool with everything, that's up for anything."
"You're doing what you want now, aren't you? Playing games. Making friends, meeting people. Making videos, being cool."
Evan sighed sadly. "Enough about me. What about your sweet little two years in high school?"
The tiny part of his brain egged him on, and Jonathan spoke, staring at the white ceiling, his memories faintly passing before his eyes like pencil strokes on blank canvas. "Name is Nick. I was the weird kid nobody got in school, he was the cool kid on the football team. I didn't ever think he'd take a shine on me, but he did… and… things just happened."
Evan's silent breathing filled the air for a moment, and Jonathan chuckled nervously. "God, it's embarrassing, isn't it?"
"You dated a guy?" Evan murmured slowly into his neck. "I guess that doesn't matter…"
"I know… I don't know why I'm even telling you this. I don't…"
A soft snore came from somewhere by his neck, and Jonathan sighed softly. I just admitted the last thing I wanted him to know right in his face. I'm a damn idiot.
Nick. The thought of him made his heart swell ever so slightly, first in affection and then in pain. His dark, slicked back hair, his pure, always-glimmering olive eyes, his scent…God, I can't be any dumber today, Jonathan thought to himself. I'm thinking about the man I want to forget about the most. He felt his chest lurch as another memory swept over him.
Knock, knock, knock. Three slow, almost weak knocks at his window. Jonathan peered up from his comic and slowly made his way to his curtains, drawing them apart as he pulled up his windows.
"I was thinking you'd never come," he slurred, his eyes half-closed with a silly, lovable smile plastered over his lips.
"What on earth are you doing, Nick? You're drunk!"
"I know," He hiccoughed softly, and he clambered weakly through the window into Jonathan's room. "I'm also braver tonight."
Jonathan shut the window behind him and drew the curtains quickly, and turned towards Nick. He smiled at him and stumbled closer, an entire head taller, and pulled Jonathan into a tight embrace. He hastily pulled his head back, and pushed his lips eagerly against Jonathan's, gently alternating between nibbling his top and his bottom lip, as he stood rooted, staring wide-eyed at nothing.
Nick paused, and pulled away sadly. "You don't feel the same way. God, I'm sorry. I… Pretend this never happened, then. I'll go." He turned to leave.
"Nick," Jonathan called out softly, prompting the man to turn back hopefully. Instantly, Jonathan threw himself at him, locking his arms around his neck and pulling their heads together as he returned the kiss with as much enthusiasm as he could muster. The kiss was messy and filled with inexperience on Jonathan's part, but it was heartfelt, as Nick soon ran his hands underneath Jonathan's shirt, feeling the soft, bare skin on his back, causing Jonathan to shiver joyfully.
Nick pulled away and held Jonathan tight against his chest. "I've been dreaming about this forever. Thinking about you, thinking about saying this to you. Thinking about telling you how much I love you." He began to nibble gently away at Jonathan's neck.
A slight ticklish movement by his jawline sent Jonathan tumbling back towards reality. Evan was gently moving, bobbing his head back and forth slightly as he nuzzled away sleepily at Jonathan's jaw. That tickles. He held back a giggle, not wanting to shake the man awake.
The nuzzling gently migrated southwards, trailing down the side of his neck. The sensations began to shift, and Jonathan shivered as a different feeling began to take over his body. Unconsciously, the man by his side was nicking the sensitive areas on his neck in his sleep – once, twice, thrice… and the blood in his body was beginning to rush in a different direction altogether. His body was heating up involuntarily, and the once-silent alarms in his head began to blare loudly, ringing out loud and clear in his mind. I'm responding to my– one of my best friends!
Jonathan shifted his head uncomfortably away from Evan, breaking the contact between them. His neck was still tingling from the gentle little brushes that Evan's nose and mouth provided against the skin of his neck, and his ears were buzzing furiously. He paced his breathing, inhaling and exhaling as he mentally willed the tightening in his pants to end, closing his eyes as he did. He pushed all thoughts out of his mind – of Nick, of Evan, of what Evan was doing to him. When his heart finally did begin to slow, it slowed to a pace so comfortable that the darkness and the dizziness in his head soon took over, sending him into the realm of dreams.
Evan awoke, his head whirling once more. The room was now warm. He opened his eyes reluctantly, expecting to see the blazing sun in his face. However, he was greeted by a relative darkness. Someone had kindly drawn the curtains for him, and the sun barely peeked through the thick red fabric. He sat up, looking around slowly in confusion, the still-hazy memories flooding back to him one by one.
He remembered lying next to Jonathan in the darkness, gently breathing in his scent, relishing the gentle, woodsy fragrance that he emanated, all as he lay with his nose gently kissing his neck. He remembered whispering to Jonathan in the darkness, learning about the man's past. They had been so close to each other, their bodies meeting each other's at so many points.
He looked over to the other bed in the room. The sheets were perfectly straight, with no crimps or creases upon its surface, and the comforter looked as though it had never been pulled back. A realization began to slowly dawn upon Evan, and his heart somersaulted in his chest – they had slept right next to each other, bodies touching, the entire night.
A delicious scent wafted by through the air and into the room, sending pangs of hunger shooting through Evan's stomach. Drawn to the smell, he shuffled out of the room and down the stairs.
Luke sat by the far end of the kitchen counter, digging into a plate of food whilst murmuring quietly every once in a while to Jonathan, who stood with his back against the rest of the world over the stove, working busily on a pan of food. The smell coming from the kitchen was absolutely mouthwatering.
"Ah, you're awake!" Luke called out as he caught sight of Evan, and took a sip from his mug. "Go wash up, bedhead, Jonathan's getting breakfast – well, brunch, really - ready."
Bedhead? His hand instantly shot up to his hair and tried to straighten it out as he proceeded back up the stairs. It was not until when he finally saw himself in the bathroom mirror, stripped down, did he realize what Luke meant.
His hair was sticking out in different directions, and his under-eyes looked swollen, puffy and dark. His lips were discolored, pale and dry, and he looked as though he had just came back to life from the dead. He sighed, and began his daily morning routine of stripping down all traces of disorder and tidying himself up to perfection. Once more, he emptied the darkest parts of himself down the drain with the water that washed down his body, and he cleaned off every part of his body and his face, and he brushed and shaved, and when he was finally satisfied with the order he had created in his appearance, he left the bathroom, fresh, clean, and ready for another day.
He made his way back down towards the kitchen and living area, to find Jonathan still cooking and Luke still lounging at the counter with his mug and polishing off the last of his food. This time, however, there was another plate of food laid out on the counter on the seat next to Luke's. He approached, frowning as he saw the contents.
"What's this?"
"Scrambled eggs on toast with tomatoes and a light dusting of chives." Jonathan answered, his back still turned on Evan.
"That sounds kind of weird. And kind of lame."
"Hey buddy, the first thing you'll learn in time is to never knock Jonathan's food before you try it." Luke assured.
"I'll take your word on it. It does smell kinda good."
He lifted the questionable mass of yellow, red and green and took a small bite on the corner of the toast, feeling the ever-familiar small crunch that came with it. Toast seems fine, he thought. The next challenge, was the eggs. He aimed for another bite, scouring for a portion with a small bit of everything in it, and dug in. It's really good.
"It su-uuucks." Evan mock-whined, as Jonathan turned over momentarily to place a mug of coffee by his plate. As he turned back towards the stove, he heard Jonathan grumble under his breath.
"Fuck you."
Another plate of food and a mug of coffee appeared once more in Jonathan's hands, and he walked away, passing Luke and Evan, towards the stairs.
"Where are you goin'?" Luke called out.
"To give Mini his breakfast."
Luke chortled into his cup, and Evan watched him swallow a retort he had just on the tip of his tongue. He soon began again.
"So… had a good sleep?"
"I think. Hard to tell when you're drunk as balls, actually."
"Never been drunk, never drank, won't know. You really did look like a damn zombie earlier, you know?"
"I figured."
"Do you get drunk this often?" Luke asked, an eyebrow raised. "I mean, I've seen you drink plenty at cons and all, but I always thought they were just cons."
"I don't know, myself. I just do."
Luke's tone suddenly became serious as he turned towards Evan, his searching eyes peering straight into his own. "Look, speakin' of reckless behavior… I'm in no position to tell you what to do, but at this rate, someone's goin' to get hurt."
"What the hell are you on about?"
"I'm talking about you and Jonathan. He just walked out of a rough one with some girl, and the last thing he needs is someone puttin' him on the hook again. That's all I have to say, man."
He left Evan at the counter as he went by the sink to wash up his plate, as both Craig and Jonathan trudged down the stairs, and Craig settled himself on the counter with his plate and mug of coffee and continued with his meal, whilst Jonathan turned, barely glancing at Evan as he proceeded to tidy up the mess of the previous night.
"I swear to God, Jonathan will make a great wife." Craig said, his mouth full. "First he brings me breakfast in bed, and now I find that this is so fucking good."
Luke turned and walked towards the counter, allowing Evan to pass by him and wash up his plate distractedly as he listened to the banter occurring behind him.
"I know. Just watch him clean up the house." Luke joked. After a short pause, he continued, "Don't give me that look, man, if you were a chick I'd propose to you right now."
There was a sudden movement behind him, and Evan felt something large and soft hit his back forcefully, and the wet plate he held in his hands slipped out and onto the ground in shock, shattering into multiple fragments.
"Look what you did!" Craig accused. "And I only brought four plates!"
"I'm sorry!" Jonathan moaned. "I'll grab the slippers. You two stay still."
The patting of flip-flops against the floor soon resounded about the house. "Okay, Luke, I need you to get up on my back," Craig instructed.
"Evan. My back, now." Jonathan said in a low voice as he sidled up beside him, eyes averted.
Evan slung his wrists around Jonathan's neck and clambered on uncertainly, unwilling to put his full weight onto Jonathan's body. "You can't – woah!"
With a sudden burst of strength, Jonathan lifted Evan off the ground shakily, and swung them both backwards, taking two big steps backwards before settling a dumbfounded Evan back on the ground. A few grunts in the background directed his attention to Craig, who had just managed to carry Luke out of the area and set Luke back on his feet.
"God, you're heavy!" Craig complained.
"I'm sorry dude, you chose to carry me!"
"Do you think I can carry Evan?"
"Did you think Jonathan could carry anyone?"
Craig opened his mouth, and shut it instantly. Evan laughed silently in a corner, amused.
"Shut up, Evan. You just got carried by a guy smaller than you."
"I wasn't laughing!"
"Yeah, right." Craig rolled his eyes, and nested himself comfortably into the couch. "Plus, you broke the plate and you're making Jonathan sweep it all up. You're so terrible to our first class wife."
"S'okay. I got it." Jonathan said loudly as he carried the dustpan full of bin and dumped the contents in. "And shut up about the first class wife thing."
Evan watched as the dark-haired man peered out of the house for a moment, before hurrying up the stairs. He wondered deeply what thoughts were forming behind the mass of dark hair that covered his head, and what else lay beneath the pretty face of the friend he had always known.
Jonathan re-appeared at the foot of the stairs moments later, dressed in nothing else but a pair of navy swimming trunks that held tightly against his waist and bum. It was almost as though Evan's eyes were drawn to the man – to every curve and every inch of skin that he showed. Once again, he examined his back, his lower back, his ass… almost admiring every bit of Jonathan that he could see. He watched as Jonathan consciously wrapped a towel around his torso, and try to creep quietly past the back of the couch.
"Even the guys agree with me!" Craig called out loudly. "They say they'll marry you if you were a chick!"
Evan watched as Craig looked up from his phone, to find Jonathan creeping out of the side door to the poolside, and began gawking at the man, causing Luke to abruptly yell in annoyance, "He started swimming without us!"
Evan stared at the gracefully swimming body in the water, unable to tear his eyes away every single time Jonathan popped his head up for breath, causing his dark hair to cascade across his face.
"You're staring." Luke warned darkly as he slipped past him and into the pool, now dressed in his swim shorts. Evan followed suit, and lowered himself into the cool water beside Luke.
"I wasn't."
"Really? You think nobody else noticed, but me and Craig, we've been countin' the whole time. You look at him so much, it's like we don't exist." Luke hissed.
"I –"
"No, listen, Evan. I don't care about what's goin' on. But Jonathan, he's like a brother to me. You guys do anything stupid, that's fine by me, but if he gets hurt, that's not. You get me?"
Evan nodded slowly.
"Good. Do whatever you like, but the last thing I want is him breakin' into pieces." Luke murmured as he waddled away from Evan. He managed to take a few steps before –
"CANNONBALL!"
Craig came bounding from the house and leapt in the air, curling himself up into a ball right as he hit the water, causing a large wave to crash into each and every individual on impact. He emerged with a ball in his hands, looking utterly satisfied at himself as the other men began to close in on him.
"Hey guys, uh…" Craig began nervously.
"Cannonball, eh?" Jonathan raised an eyebrow, and splashed a large tidal wave at him, thus beginning a childish splash fight between the four.
"Enough!" Craig cried out, water in his eyes and his face completely red. "Are you guys going to spend the whole afternoon splashing each other or what?!"
"You started it," Evan pointed out, and plucked the ball that was beginning to float away from Craig from the water. "What's up with this?"
"Friendly match of modified water polo. What else are you going to do in the pool, stare at our asses?"
Evan chucked a handful of water at Craig in annoyance. "How're we going to do it?"
"Let's see… These two walls opposite each other will be our goals. I don't think we can afford goalkeepers, so it'll just be the four of us trying to score and prevent the other team from scoring the best we can. No strict rules except don't smash the ball in someone's face, obviously."
"I call dibs on Evan." Luke piped up.
"No fair! Evan's a hulk!" Craig groaned.
"And Jonathan is close to Olympic standards in swimming. It's fair enough. I get the big one, you get the fast one."
"Uhm… It's not exactly fair. I've got no experience in water polo." Jonathan admitted.
"Doesn't matter, you'll do fine." Evan assured warmly. He watched his pale cheeks go a mild tinge of pink.
"Alright, whatever. Ball in the middle, all of us back off to our sides of the pool. Ready? Go!"
The four men began to swim vigorously towards the middle in a mad race for the ball. Jonathan was proving himself the fastest, but as the men swam towards the ball, the waves slowly drifted the ball away, closer towards where Craig and Evan were. As they reached out towards the ball, their arms collided and the two were soon caught in a tussle. Luke and Jonathan, not hesitating for a moment, joins in on the fight for the ball.
By some form of luck, Jonathan manages to grab the ball from the middle of the chaotic little fight, and begins swimming as fast as he could to avoid the incoming tackles. His body maneuvered swiftly in the water, and he was just about to position himself for a throw when Evan's body came like a torpedo, slamming into his.
The two men froze as their bodies connected, the feeling of skin against muscle sending jolts of electricity through both their bodies. Evan could almost hear Luke's voice echoing in his head, repeating the words over and over again – "You look at him so much, it's like we don't exist…"
The heat emanating from Jonathan's body was increasing, and Evan's body was heating up as well. The man beneath him quickly began to shimmy himself free, and Evan quickly let go of Jonathan's body, and a cheer erupted from Craig as the ball weakly hit the wall.
"That was a weak-ass ball," Luke jibed playfully as Jonathan turned to swim back towards Craig. "Why, did you spend all your strength wrestling the big guy?"
"Shut up." Jonathan stuck his tongue out at him.
The next round began, with Evan starting the ball from the wall. He aimed carefully for Luke's outstretched arms, and as soon as he lunged the ball towards Luke, he ran – and dove straight back into the water, swimming as fast as his limbs could take him. As he emerged back over the surface of the water, Craig had managed to wrestle the ball from Luke's hands, and made an effort to throw the ball towards Jonathan. The space straight ahead of him was clear – and Evan took the chance to intercept the ball.
Jonathan was faster, however. Upon seeing Evan approach, he swam up ahead, and quickly made a grab for the ball. He was all set to make the shot towards the wall – however, he had miscalculated one detail: Evan was extremely close up behind him.
Evan could almost feel Jonathan's breath up against his face as he turned around to face him. He could see the man's perfect blue eyes stare into his own, and he could see every detail of his face. He was close enough to see how each droplet of water clung off locks of his dark hair, and how his hair looked slightly brown in the sunlight. He saw the man's eyes widen with shock, and his lips part slightly at the sight of Evan, revealing a small, slightly visible, yet cute gap in his front teeth.
"Move," Jonathan whispered, still adorably wide-eyed.
"No," Evan breathed shakily. "I'm not going to let you score again."
He made a move towards Jonathan's arms, attempting to knock the ball out of his grasp, and as he did so, the ball flew upwards, and back down, Evan making a grab for it mid-air.
His efforts were soon thwarted by Craig, who launched himself forward, and launched the ball towards the wall, and as the ball hit the wall with a resounding thud, Evan was surrounded by cheers from Craig and Jonathan as they high-fived each other. As Jonathan's signature giggles sounded through the air, it was as though a wall had broken through in Evan's heart. Something in him was very slowly stirring itself awake, something that had been dormant for some time. Luke's annoyance was but a small buzz in his ear as he watched the man laugh and celebrate the unexpected success momentarily. There was an odd, incomprehensible feeling that he had with Jonathan that drew him closer and closer, and he could swear he –
Stop right there. His heart stilled, and he shut his eyes for a second, feeling the world around him slow down. Stop. This must not happen. Shut it now. He re-opened his eyes and took a deep breath, letting his emotions slip away in a soft sigh. See? It's alright now. You don't feel anything anymore.
"God damn," Luke groaned several rounds later. "Man, Sarah was right about you being off your game recently, huh? They're actually winning."
"Hey, I didn't promise anything. I'm a hockey player, I'm better on two feet and on ice." Evan grimaced.
"Hm." Luke replied, barely paying attention. "We've got to stop now. Sun's starting to creep in."
Jonathan shot a look back at Luke almost pitifully.
"What d'you mean, we've got to stop?" Craig asked incredulously.
"He means the sun's going to take over the pool soon and if I don't hide in a shaded corner, I'm going to burn into pieces by the time this whole thing ends."
"Aw, come on. You sure it's not just a ploy to get our winning streak down?" Craig asked, but Jonathan had already proceeded to a small corner in the shadows and pulled himself out of the water, leaving only his legs submerged.
"I don't think so. Besides, we've been playing for quite some time. It's about time to take a small break." Evan called out as he waded towards the darker end of the pool.
"Man, if we're not playing anymore, I'm going to go get a shower." Craig said.
"Go then. The rest of you, too." Jonathan answered, making kicking motions in the water.
"And you?" Luke stared at him incredulously as he clambered out of the pool alongside Craig, water dripping from his hair and beard.
"I'll stay a little longer." Jonathan murmured as he continued to play with the water.
The two men left with their towels slung around their bodies, leaving a trail of water behind them as they stumbled back into the house. The poolside grew silent, with only the sound of water softly moving about as Jonathan kicked away in the water.
Evan drew himself out of the water and grabbed a towel from the lounge chair he had left it on. He approached Jonathan slowly, watching as the man shivered every once in a while as the breeze passed his bare torso, and as he settled himself beside him, submerging his legs in the water, he wrapped the towel around the man.
"Why aren't you going to wash up?" Jonathan asked quietly.
"There are only two bathrooms, no?" Evan replied, feeling an odd tension build up between them.
"Oh." Jonathan acknowledged simply, and continued to play with the water with his feet.
Say something, Evan, come on…Anything's fine, just say something!
"I've spent so long out here, my fingers have gone all wrinkly." Evan began. "I wonder why those two are taking so long."
"Mhm." Jonathan merely hummed.
"Er… Oh yeah, about the ice skating thing. I've had your water, now you'll have to go on ice. How does next week sound?"
"Sounds good."
"Okay, that's it," Evan sighed. "There's an elephant in the room and I think I know what's up. I got wasted, and I did something I shouldn't have done, or said something I shouldn't have said, didn't I?"
He watched as Jonathan froze, his legs stilling in the water. Nail on the head.
"I know I made you do some crappy drunk confession thing, and I'm sorry if that made you uncomfortable. Right now, I don't even know what made me do it." Evan continued earnestly.
"It's not that! It's –" Jonathan suddenly said, rather loudly, his face turning towards Evan's, flushing. "It's just that… you were eating my face halfway through the night. And I couldn't get away, my arm was trapped under your head."
His words sent a million shockwaves through Evan's mind. He had made a move on Jonathan. Unknowingly, he had done something he shouldn't have.
"That… that doesn't sound very pleasant." Evan began again after a long pause. "I'm really sorry. I hope you didn't take it the wrong way. I probably dreamt of a feast, or something."
Jonathan frowned at him, the odd tension easing from his face. "You dreamt of a feast?"
"I think. I don't know. I barely ever remember my own dreams. When I do, it's a blur, anyway."
A soft hum rose from Jonathan's chest. "That's funny."
"Why?"
"When I dream, I dream very clearly. I see things in my head, and I hear voices and sounds, just like in real life, except it isn't real. Sometimes it's more like a movie and it barely makes any sense, but it's still clear." Jonathan explained.
"Wow," Evan breathed, awed. "Never experienced that before. Would be nice to see what you see."
A silence followed his words, and Jonathan resumed his kicking motions in the water.
"So what's about that guy Nick you were talking about? Was he hot?"
"I… was hoping you'd be too drunk to remember." Jonathan said in a small voice.
"It's hazy, but I remember it all right. Tell me about him."
"I thought I told you!"
"No, I meant… when did you first figure out you liked him? Or that you liked guys, in general." Evan asked slowly, his mind buzzing away.
Jonathan kicked away at the water, thoughtful and silent. After a moment, he spoke.
"He was… really nice to me. Different. And he was always so cool, too. Just… at some point, I didn't feel like I could see him as just a friend. I started thinking about him so much, and feeling so strongly for him… it was very confusing at first. And then… it sort of became clear, what I was feeling for him."
Evan swallowed his words in silence. Somehow, somewhere, deep in his heart, there was a twinge of discomfort at the mention of a faceless man in Jonathan's memory. The same area wanted so badly to take action, to do something to Jonathan, be it to throw him to the ground or to tackle him into the water. His agitation stilled, then, as his rational mind took hold. Don't be silly, it urged.
"Are you still with him, then?" Evan barely managed to choke out through clenched teeth.
Jonathan shook his head. "Don't ask me why, either. I don't want to talk about it."
"And any luck since then?"
"There was… Liselle. We met a year or so ago, and she really seemed to get me. For a bit. We've been on and off since then, but… I think we're really done this time."
"Sorry." Evan murmured – but he wasn't in the least bit sorry at all. You're such a jerk, a part of his brain thought, irked at the joy leaping away in his heart.
"Enough about me. What about you and Sarah?" Jonathan's voice cut in.
"What do you mean, how about me and Sarah? You guys already know the full story."
"Any plans with her, I mean. She seems… nice." Jonathan hesitated on the final word.
Plans. What plans do I have with…?
"Not… yet. I mean, who doesn't want to get married, have kids? But… I don't know what I'm doing now, really."
The two men were dreadfully silent for the next minute.
"Hey, Jonathan!" Luke's voice echoed as he poked his head out of the porch. "Go take a bath! I've turned up the heater so don't complain about the cold!"
Jonathan pulled himself out of the water and followed after Luke's voice into the house. Evan never took his eyes off the man's back, and as the man disappeared into the house, he sighed heavily, wishing he could submerge himself underneath the water and never emerge again. I should be happy, he thought. I have everything. I have Sarah. I have friends. I have a career. What else do I want? What else am I missing?
Craig had grilled up a few leftover sausages and fried up the last of the eggs as well as potatoes and left a plate of the makeshift dinner for Evan as he came down the stairs, emptied once more of emotions and burdens, and as he ate, the three others lounged on the couch lazily, discussing which movie to watch – all of which sounded ridiculously unappealing to Evan.
The sky was an impenetrable darkness by the time Evan was finished with both his bath and his dinner. He plonked his body down on the couch beside Jonathan, who shifted slightly to make space for his body, never once shifting as he lay sprawled across a corner of the couch.
"Okay guys," Craig announced dramatically as he turned the lights down, leaving the television as the sole source of light in the entire room. "By a unanimous vote –"
"Not a unanimous vote," Luke interjected.
"By a unanimous vote," Craig repeated, annoyance coloring his tone, "we shall now begin… a movie that nobody has ever watched before!"
He clicked a button on a remote, and the screen went dark. A few lines of text appeared on the screen as the shot panned over a landscape of sand.
"God, I'm bored already." Jonathan whined softly. "What sort of damn flick is this supposed to be, anyway?"
"Just shut up and watch," Craig instructed.
"If I don't fall asleep first," Jonathan murmured.
And soon he did. Just as Evan felt his eyes drooping as a blur of characters paraded themselves across the screen, rushing through their incoherent dialogue about incomprehensible events – he heard a soft snore emerge from beside him where Jonathan lay. He looked over to see the man sound asleep, his plump pink lips gently parted and his chest heaving slightly as he breathed. His heart swelled as he watched Jonathan sleep, and for a moment, was lost in the sight of it. Evan soon shook himself awake, and stood up, stretching.
"Alright. I'm done. You guys can watch this shitty movie for the rest of the night. I'm tired, and so is he, so… goodnight, and have fun, you dumb shits."
"What?! But – we're not even halfway –" Craig stammered, lost for words.
"I'm cooped, dude. Jonathan's already gone. He's been up for god knows how long, and he made your breakfast while your ass was in bed."
"Let 'em go, dude." Luke shot a look at Craig through the darkness. "I'll stick through this one with you."
Craig raised an eyebrow at Luke, and gave up almost instantly. Evan leaned over Jonathan and gently slid an arm beneath his neck, with another beneath his knees, and lifted the man carefully, making sure that Jonathan did not awaken from his slumber. Slowly, he walked towards the stairs and made a laborious climb up to the top of the steps, before heading for their room, swearing quietly to himself that he could have heard a heated, whispered discussion take place between Luke and Craig beneath his feet.
He teetered about a little as he lay a still-sleeping Jonathan on his bed, covering his body with the comforter. He was similarly exhausted after an afternoon of swimming about, and as he finally shut the door, turned on the air-conditioning in the room and sank his body wearily into his own bed, he was instantly compelled to shut his eyes and drift off to sleep. Just as Evan was on the verge of falling asleep, he heard Jonathan's voice softly murmur through the silence of the room.
"Evan... Evan…"
Evan's eyes shot open, and he turned towards the form of the still-sleeping man, watching as Jonathan thrashed about tumultuously in his sleep.
"Evan…stop… I'll fall…Don't…" Jonathan pleaded softly.
Evan lifted his body off his bed, still sleep-ridden, and sidled over to Jonathan. "Jonathan…" He purred softly, lifting his body onto Jonathan's bed, and he lay beside the man, their noses gently touching. He began gently caressing his cheeks, his thumb lingering over his lips. "I'm here for you."
Whatever magic Evan had on Jonathan, he did not know or understand. All Evan knew in the moment was that as their bodies came together, Jonathan stilled and calmed down and his murmurs grew soft and less panicky. Throwing his arms around Jonathan, he succumbed finally to the sleepy haze in his head, not caring that he was beside the man that had made his heart go into a heated conflict the moment he had appeared.