Later that evening, after the match, Jeff decided to go back to his dorm room. Most people had gone back home for the weekend, but the small handful that stayed were most probably at the party thrown by one of the members in Dalton's soccer team. He would have gone too, since the invite was extended to everyone at Dalton, but he wasn't exactly in a celebrating mood today. Instead, he picked up the latest book he was reading, 'The Catcher in the Rye' and attempted to continue reading it from the last page he was on. But to no avail, with every word he read, his mind kept on drifting elsewhere. After realising that it was no use, Jeff sighed in defeat and simply lay down on his bed with the book placed flat out on his chest. The blonde Warbler closed his eyes and reflected back on everything that had happened earlier that day; talking to his sister who he hasn't spoken to in a while, watching the football match,
...Nick.
Jeff smiled to himself and sighed in content; he was glad that he was back on speaking terms with Nick; he really did miss his best friend.
"Hmm...I really should listen to Lily more," he muttered quietly.
Jeff's mind drifted back to that afternoon; he remembered feeling so proud of Nick whilst watching him play. The way he literally owned that field, playing with such poise and elegance whilst at the same time, raw determination and passion never leaving his eyes. But despite everything, Jeff just couldn't shake off that look in Nick's eyes when he ran up to him after the game. That look... Jeff thought. It looked so familiar...almost as if...
Jeff suddenly shook his head, as if attempting to remove that absurd idea out of his mind. "Nah..." he said aloud, arguing with his conscience. "...Don't be so daft."
He was so absorbed in thoughts of the brunette that he didn't notice somebody entering the room. It was only when he heard the door shut, was he broken out of his daydream. His eyes snapped open and head shot up towards the direction of the door.
"N-Nick..." he breathed out gently.
Nick smiled softly at his roommate, "Hey"
"W-What are you doing here?" Jeff asked, slightly startled that the person he was just daydreaming about was in the same room as him, let alone two feet away.
Nick simply laughed softly, "I j-just wasn't really in the mood for a party to be honest." He told him, running a hand through his hair.
"Oh...how come? Jeff asked him with a curious look. "You do know that the party is practically for you."
He looked straight at Jeff for a moment, before looking away, "Just have a lot on my mind." He said, Nick then suddenly noticed the look Jeff was giving him, urging him to continue.
"Could ask you the same question?" He said, quickly trying to change the subject.
Jeff chuckled quietly, picking up on the not-so-subtle conversation change but decided not to say anything about it. "Honestly... I just couldn't be bothered, thought I'd get some reading done instead." He said, motioning to the book on his chest.
"Given up already," said Nick, a playful smirk lingering on his lips.
Jeff grinned amiably at his best friend, "Yeah...something like that." he said, chuckling lightly.
"So... you're not busy right now?" Nick asked.
"Urm... no, not really."
"Cool," Nick said, nodding in understanding, "...take a walk with me?" He then asked the blonde, with his arm extended and a hopeful look in his eyes.
Jeff looked up at Nick with a vaguely puzzled look, trying to understand the motive behind all of this. But then when he noticed Nick raise his eyebrows slightly, he smiled to himself, before getting up out of his bed and taking Nick's outstretched arm.
Nick led the two out onto the grassy grounds of Dalton. Though the air was warm, it was a slightly windy evening, and Jeff regretted not grabbing a jumper with him on his way out as he felt goose-bumps on his bare arms.
"Here..." He told Jeff, holding out his own jacket. Jeff furrowed his eyebrows, looking up at Nick in confusion.
"I can see you're cold," Nick simply stated.
Jeff looked at the jacket Nick was holding for a second, before looking back at Nick and shaking his head. "H-honestly, I'm fine."
"Just put the coat on dummy," he told the blonde with a small smile playing on his lips. "...afterall it's the least I can do after dragging you out here." He then paused in his tracks, and turned to look at Jeff, "Can't have you dying on me now, can I?" he said with a slight smirk.
Jeff broke into a smile at Nick's last comment and shook his head in disbelief before speaking up. "Ah, guilty conscience..." he said, "...and there's me thinking you actually cared about my well-being." Jeff huffed melodramatically.
Nick chuckled lightly before standing behind his best friend and placing the jacket carefully on his back, "As if..." he whispered softly in Jeff's ear, trying his best to contain the grin forcing its way onto Nick's face, before walking off slowly in the same direction.
Jeff watched his best friend walk away, hands in pockets and kicking around random items that were on the ground. "Idiot." He said to himself, smiling softly. His eyes slowly, without thinking, giving Nick's body the once-over. A really, hot idiot though, he thought. Jeff suddenly felt a blush rising on his cheeks, he shook his head and mentally scolded himself; get a hold of yourself Jeff. After clearing his throat, he quickly looked around so that no one caught him blatantly checking out his best friend, before breaking into a sprint to catch up with Nick.
They both walked on the grass before finally settling down onto the floor, Nick then lay down on the grass and glanced up at the stars in the sky. Jeff sat there and watched him before lying down himself.
"It's a really beautiful night." Nick said, breaking the silence.
"Yeah," Jeff breathed out, "...it sure is". He said, smiling up at the sky before closing his eyes.
Nick slowly turned his head to the side to take a look at his best friend. He watched him as he laid there, the way his blonde hair moved with the wind. He studied him carefully, secretly admiring the way his brown eyes reflected the moonlight. Jeff inhaled deeply, relishing in the crisp, cool breeze of the night; hands toying with the soft blades of grass on the ground. He then suddenly smirked as he felt a pair of eyes on him.
"Perv."
This brought Nick back to reality, "W-What?" He managed to splutter out.
"Never knew I was so interesting" Jeff said so smugly.
"Psht... Oh please, get over yourself dude."
"Oh I have... Now it's your turn dude" Jeff said, grinning widely.
Nick laughed, shaking his head; he then grabbed a handful of grass and threw it at the blonde Warbler. Jeff gasped in shock before shaking the grass out of his hair. "Ohh... that's it dude! Now you're getting it!" He said, grabbing some of the grass next to him and chucking it at Nick. Nick being quite athletic and agile dodged it quickly and then tackled his best friend to the ground.
"I think you've forgotten that I'm pretty damn good at sports" he said, pinning Jeff onto the grass by straddling his waist and holding his hands above his head "...meaning I have awesome reflexes." He bragged to the blonde, slightly out of breath.
"Show-off"
Nick gasped mockingly, "Take that back..."
"Oh look at me, I'm Nicholas Duval, I'm so good at sports, I'm so fast, I'm the best footballer ever to roam this planet. Yada yada yada..."
Nick looked at his best-friend with a raised eyebrow. "You know, you're really not helping yourself here, if I were you, I'd shut up." He whispered the last bit.
"Hmm... Make. Me" said Jeff, leaning forward as much as he could into Nick's personal space, challenging him. However, Nick was never one to back down from a challenge so he moved downwards towards Jeff, reducing the space between the two. He could feel the heat radiating from Jeff's body.
"Last chance dude." He said quietly with a raised eyebrow.
"Ooh I'm so scared" Jeff whispered mockingly.
Smirking, Nick kept a firm grip on Jeff's waist with his knees before moving one of his hands, the other still holding Jeff's hands above his head, down to Jeff's sides and tickling him.
"Oh my God, Nick...p-please...s-stop..." Jeff gasped, squirming underneath him, trying to get free, but Nick's hold on him was too strong.
"Say I'm the best." Nick told the blonde, grinning widely.
"I'm the best." Jeff said smugly.
"Oh, looks like we have a smart-ass."
"Ok-k...p-please..." He managed to choke out, as he bit his lip trying to hold back his laughter. "Nick Duval is the greatest person in the whole wide world."
"Oh, you're trying to brown-nose me now?"
"N-Nick!" He cried out, unable to hold it in, Jeff burst into a fit of laughter.
Nick couldn't stop laughing himself, after getting what he wanted he decided to let Jeff go.
"You're a pig" Jeff muttered, narrowing his eyes at Nick playfully as he tried to catch his breath back.
Nick sighed in content, and lay down on the grass with his hands behind his head. "Whatever dude..." He said with a smirk. "...You still said I'm the greatest person in the whole world." Nick chuckled as he heard Jeff growl, he then threw a wink in the blonde's direction just to annoy him even more.
Jeff narrowed his eyes at his best friend, before scoffing. Nick caught the look Jeff was giving him before bursting out in laughter. Jeff watched Nick laughing his head off and clutching his stomach. He himself tried to be strong and hold his own in but Nick's laugh was just too funny, so before he knew it, he was on the floor laughing with him.
After a few minutes, the two boys managed to calm themselves down. They were now both lying on their backs, glancing up at the sky.
"Truth or dare?"
"What...?" Jeff asked, confusion etched onto his face as he shifted; now lying on his side facing Nick.
Nick, however, didnt move out of his position and simply repeated himself again. "Truth or dare." He said again.
Jeff was confused as to why Nick would want to play that game, chuckling lightly to himself at his best friends crazy childish antics, he contemplated about it for a few seconds, before coming to the conclusion that it wouldn't hurt to play for a bit.
"Erm... Truth" Jeff finally settled on.
Nick groaned out loud, "Oh come on Jeffy, I already know pretty much everything about you, pick dare!"
"Hmm, let me think about it..." Jeff said, as he put his finger on his lips. "Okay, thought about it," he told Nick, who looked up, eyebrows raised, silently urging him to continue.
"No."
Jeff grinned widely at the sight of Nick's crestfallen-slash-angry face. "Damn you dude... Had such an awesome dare planned for you as-well." Nick told him, Jeff smirked at him smugly and shrugged his shoulders. "D'awww..." he teased.
"Shut up." Nick muttered, narrowing his eyes. "Alright fine..." He said, looking in thought for a second before continuing. "Urm...okay... i-is there anyone you like at the moment?" He asked quietly, toying around with his fingers.
Jeff froze in his spot, what the hell? Why is he asking me this? He thought.
"Urrrm... w-what?" he hesitated. His hesitation, however, didn't go unnoticed by Nick who was quite confused by it himself. "Do you like anyone?" he repeated.
Jeff feigned a light chuckle, "How original."
Nick smiled, "Shush, I couldn't think of anything else."
"Excuses" Jeff retaliated.
Nick was just about to reply back before it suddenly dawned on him. He looked directly at Jeff, searching his eyes before bowing his head down. He drew a sharp breath in before finally speaking, "You're avoiding the question..." he whispered.
Jeff's eyes suddenly widened, mouth left slightly open. "I-I..." he stuttered.
"Do I know him?" Nick said quietly, interrupting him.
Jeff looked up at him, opened his mouth as he contemplated on lying to him, but then decided against it as he realised Nick would see straight through it. He stared at him for a moment before answering. "Yeah..." he whispered, "...you could say that."
Nick nodded in understanding, feeling this slight pang in his chest. "How come you've never told me this before?" he whispered, hurt clearly evident in his voice.
"I-I... I didn't think it was important."
Nick nodded to himself, "Does he like you back?" he asked.
Jeff, whose eyes were now looking teary, ducked his head, "N-No." He whispered. "...he doesn't."
Nick then suddenly got up from where he was sitting and moved closer to Jeff, "then why on earth do you like him!" he argued. "He doesn't deserve you."
Jeff chuckled bitterly, if only you knew... he thought. He then looked up at Nick and looked straight into his eyes. "I'm crazy about him." He whispered softly, "I don't want to be with anyone else."
"...But what if someone else liked you and wanted to be with you," said Nick, "...would you still pick him?" he whispered the last bit.
"Yeah..." Jeff breathed out. "Yeah, I would."
Nick then looked Jeff straight in the eyes, before exhaling deeply. "Well whoever he is..." he told him, "He is one lucky guy, a-and I really hope he knows that."
"Thank you..." Jeff whispered, a tear managing to escape from his eyes. Nick simply nodded his head and smiled sadly, before lying back down on the grass again. He let out a deep breath, Why...? He thought to himself. I've finally accepted that I might like you...but you now go and tell me that you like someone else. Nick turned his head to the side so Jeff couldn't see him. He clenched his eyelids down tightly and a tear came down from each one.
Now, I have no chance...of ever being with you.
A/N: Ok *goes and hides behind a bush* I literally have NO excuse whatsoever for how late this is, I wouldn't be surprised if you have given up on this fic because I would have. I'm really really sorry guys and for those of you who are still reading this, you deserve a bloody statue in your honour xD I'm not going to say when the next chapter will be up cos I honestly have no idea, exams have started for me :/ oh and the next chapter might be the last or second to last :( - but once again, thank you guys so much, and thank you for clicking my story and taking time out to read it. You guys rock!