Merry Christmas!!! And thanks for the nice reviews. I'm glad I have readers who are enjoying this, hehe. I hope you enjoy this one. And I should have another one soon. I'm writing it right now. Enjoy and happy holidays. x
"Wait…" Troy rubbed his head again. "What was that?"
"I, um…" Chad was lost for words. "Just wanted to…"
"Let's talk outside." A visibly shaken up Troy told Chad.
The two left the house, and propped themselves up against a wall.
"Chad, I…" Troy shook his head. "I'm really sorry."
"Why are you sorry?!" Chad asked. "I kissed you."
"Chad… why did you kiss me?"
"I just… felt like it."
"You felt like it?" Troy asked, standing up straight. "You felt like it?! Chad, listen, I know you were finding it difficult at a party surrounded by gay guys but… doesn't mean you have to act gay…"
"I just…"
"I dunno if you feel left out, or… something. But what, now, you're gay, just to fit in, to be cool?!"
"Troy! How could you even…"
"Dude."
Chad felt something brewing up inside of him. He turned around, and ran as fast as he could. Where to, he didn't know. Heck, he didn't even know this city. But he ran, and ran.
-----------------
Troy nervously paced around just outside check-in. When he'd arrived back at the hotel the night before, all of Chad's luggage was gone. And he'd not seen him since he'd run off. He had absolutely no clue whether or not Chad was going to turn up for this flight. He probably didn't want to see Troy. But for all Troy knew, he could have got an earlier flight, or he could even be lying in a ditch somewhere.
Troy sighed, giving in, and checked his baggage in. Taking one more look around the airport, just in case, he sighed and made his way to departures.
An hour later, Troy was sat on the plane, empty seat next to him. He gazed out of the window, elbow on the armrest and chin balanced on his palm.
He felt a thud next to him, and he turned to see, to his delight, Chad sulking in the seat next to him.
"Hey, Chad…" Troy smiled nervously.
"Don't… even bother."
Troy unconsciously pouted, and stared at the seat in front of him. He shot a few glances towards Chad, who was similarly staring at the seat in front of him, looking pretty angry.
"Where did you go, last night?" Troy quietly asked Chad.
"As if it matters to you."
"Chad…" Troy sighed with a frown.
"I can't believe you." Chad spat, harshly but quietly. "I can't believe what low regard you hold me in."
"What?" A confused Troy scratched his head, frowning. "Do you mean…"
"I mean, I can't believe how low you think of me. That you think I'd do that just to fit in, or be cool."
"Sorry." Troy quietly said, looking down to the floor.
He clenched his eyes shut as the plane started to move. He rubbed his face, unable to believe he'd brought upon himself yet another stress.
Chad said not another word, until they were well in the air.
"I can't believe you." Chad sighed, quite randomly.
"Chad. I am sorry. I already said."
Chad glanced, unconvinced.
"Chad…" Troy sighed. "I just don't understand. What happened back there?"
Chad self-consciously glanced around him.
"I just wanted to do it." Chad said at a low volume. "I just wanted to let go. So… I wanted to do it, so I did it. Is that a crime?"
"But, I mean… you're practically my brother." Troy shook his head. "How could you want to…"
"God, Troy, I don't know." Chad dramatically shrugged and rolled his eyes. "Why is this whole thing so hard for you to accept?"
"Because I don't understand."
"Me neither!" Chad shook his head. "Was it really that bad?!"
Troy's face flushed a shade of red, causing Chad to raise his eyebrows.
"Well, it was, uh…" Troy stammered. "I mean, no. The kiss itself didn't freak me out it's the situation surrounding it."
"Uh huh…." Chad frowned, observing Troy desperately trying to return his face to it's natural colour.
"What?!" Troy's effort was in vain when he returned to red, noticing Chad watching him.
"Nothing."
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A few days later, and Gabriella had arranged for Troy and Chad to join her at her apartment, to hang out.
Neither Troy or Chad had even so much as mentioned the trip to New York to anyone. Not even Gabriella. Not even each other. And this would be the first time they'd spoken since awkwardly drifting apart from each other at the airport, once they'd landed.
When Troy arrived, he turned bright red and tensed up when he noticed Chad had already arrived. He muttered an awkward greeting to his friend, who looked equally awkward. A confused Gabriella left the room to get the boys some drinks.
When she returned, the two men were still rigidly sat in the exact same positions they were sat in when she left the room. They hadn't said a single word to each other.
"Well this is gonna be fun…" Gabriella sighed, flopping down on the couch next to Chad. "What's with you guys?"
"Nothing." They both mumbled, slightly in time with each other.
Gabriella paused for a moment, looking from Chad to Troy, and back again.
"Okay…." She shook her head. "Hmm… did something happen in New York?"
There was a vague mumble from both parties of 'no', 'of course not', 'nothing happened'.
"Right." Gabriella nodded. "Maybe I ask Ryan?"
The two stayed silent. When Gabriella wasn't looking Troy slipped his phone out of his pocket and started tapping into it.
Gabriella snapped her head round to look at him.
"Oh my gosh! You guys! Fine, don't tell me." She sighed. "I'll find out."
------------------
At the end of the night, when all three of them started to get tired, things had got a bit better. Chad and Troy had spoken a little bit, nothing very significant, and by midnight, Gabriella had fallen asleep with her head on Chad's lap.
Troy glanced at Chad awkwardly.
"Should we take her upstairs?"
"I dunno. Maybe we should wake her up, I'm sitting quite awkwardly so if I move she'd wake up anyway."
"I'll pick her up."
Troy got out of his chair, flipping Gabriella onto her back from where she was lay on her side. He tucked his left arm under her back, his upper arm supporting her neck, and ushering his right arm under her legs. He pulled her off of Chad, and made his way up to her room.
When he came back down, Chad had his coat on.
"So I guess I should go."
"Wait, Chad… should we talk about this?"
Chad stopped, and shrugged.
"I'm not sure there's anything to talk about, Troy." He sighed.
"What do you mean?"
"Well… you're gonna say that you don't understand. And I'll say that I don't either. What's to talk about?"
Troy nodded, shrugging.
"Well…" Troy started. "How do you… feel? Does it… bother you?"
"What?" Chad asked. "The fact that I kissed a guy. I guess, a little. Doesn't make me gay though, right?"
"Right." Troy said, not actually really knowing.
"Two of my best friends are gay, I don't have a girlfriend, it just… doesn't bother me. Is that weird?"
Troy shrugged.
"I dunno. I guess I just don't understand. Because of what I just went through."
"That makes sense." Chad reassured Troy. "You had a lot more at stake."
"You're really not bothered about the whole thing?"
"No." Chad shrugged. "Watching you guys… I just felt like… If I wanna do something, I should do it. And… then, I did it."
"So…" Troy shrugged, looking down. "You would do it again?"
A small spread across an amused Chad's face.
"What, kiss a guy?" He grinned.
"Um… yeah. Or.. Me."
"If I wanted to. Yeah."
Chad purposely stared out the window, avoiding Troy's eyes. He smiled to himself as he felt Troy staring at him.
"So, yeah…" Chad nodded. "I'd better go. Got class in the morning."
He stood up, walked over to where Troy was just standing up, and smiled.
"I'm glad we had this chat." he pulled Troy into a hug, and, to Troy's total surprise (and, frankly, his own) he kissed him on the cheek, before pulling away.
"Bye." Chad winked at Troy, and left the apartment.