‘What’s taking him so long?’ Luke was getting rather impatient with Clive, the meeting had ended over 5 minutes ago and almost every student had left.
It didn’t do well with the fact that Luke had been sitting outside the door like an absolute git, he had received enough weird looks for the day and was just about ready to get home but Clive had decided to take his own sweet time.
Just as Luke began cursing the other boy, said boy walked out with a flustered Carol pressed to his side. They were unaware of (miserable) Luke’s presence on the floor.
“Can I kiss you?” she asked as she stared up at Clive with heart eyes.
Luke’s heart shattered into a million pieces, ‘so it’s true.’
He looked over at Clive for a final confirmation and died a little bit more when he saw how the other boy’s face had lit up.
“Disgusting, get a room” he managed to croak out despite the lump that had formed in his throat alongside the warm tears.
He quickly got up to his feet and started walking away briskly. He wasn’t going to cry, he was stronger than that. It was a silly crush, that’s all it was, he’d get over it, maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow but surely someday and hopefully soon.
He inwardly slapped himself for being so dramatic. This was Clive, his best friend and Luke should learn how to be happy for the boy who literally dedicated himself to Luke happiness. If Carol makes Clive happy then Luke was going to man up and make sure to support Clive’s decision of being with her.
Luke sat at the picnic table by the entrance of their school in hopes of being able to clear the air once Clive made his way out. This was it. He was going to end this childish crush once and for all.
•••
“Can I kiss you?”
Clive was more relieved than surprised to hear that. He was finally out of his suffering now that he knew what Luke had meant when he said ‘your girlfriend.’
He chuckled at himself for not catching on sooner. Luke thought he was with Carol. As evil as it sounded Clive found the entire situation extremely funny, he couldn’t help hide the goofy smile that had taken over his face. Leave it to Luke to overthink the silliest of silly things.
“Disgusting, get a room.”
He looked over at Luke who had managed to swiftly get onto his feet and just as swiftly walk away.
“Oh God I’m sorry! I didn’t know he was here!” Carol frantically apologised.
Clive had only acknowledged her presence, “do you like me?” He asked her bluntly but with a kind smile of course.
Carol blushed furiously as she looked away, trying to avoid any eye contact with the boy she was overly infatuated with.
“Um…yes, I thought you were aware,” she said in embarrassment.
“No I wasn’t…look I’m sorry but I’m not sur-“
“Why are you two still here?” Stephen demanded with his back towards the pair as he latched the door shut.
“Look Clive uh…it’s alright you don’t need to explain anything I get it, I’ll just be out of your hair. I’m sorry.” Carol said in one breath before fleeing the scene leaving Clive behind with a confused Stephen.
Clive was thankful for Stephen’s grumpy arse for once in his lifetime. He didn’t know how he would have managed to tell Carol he didn’t like her, not the way he liked Luke anyway.
Clive shot Stephen a final smile before he made his way out of the doors to catch up with Luke. He found the boy melancholically sitting out in the deserted campus.
Clive stood at a distance to admire Luke’s beauty, the way Luke had his back towards the table, his elbows resting on top of it with his head pushed up to look at the sky, the way he so elegantly wiped off a tear-
‘The way he so elegantly wiped off a tear?!?’ Clive squinted at Luke to make sure he wasn’t seeing things but he caught sight of a little sniffle from the boy.
He immediately walked over to where Luke was sitting, Luke saw him approaching and mentally prepared himself.
“What’s wrong?” Clive asked worriedly.
Luke looked up at Clive who towered over his seated self, “uh…nothing?”
“Your eyes are red,”
“Allergies.”
Clive bloody well knew it wasn’t the allergies, he didn’t want to press on with the matter but he needed answers. He needed answers to everything, to why Luke thought he was dating Carol, to why Luke was sitting all by himself teary eyed and to why they hadn’t kissed yet.
A minute had passed when Clive decided to break the silence, “I didn’t kiss her,”
“Oh?” Luke was definitely surprised and he didn’t bother hiding it.
“I don’t like her, well not like that.”
Luke sent him a questioning look, ‘aren’t they dating?’
Clive couldn’t hold eye contact as he mustered the courage to tell Luke without stammering or straight up fainting, “uhh..” he caught Luke’s eyes and felt his face heat up under the latters intent gaze.
“I like you?”
Luke’s expression remained stoic. But god knew about the absolute riot that was going on on the inside.
“And I think we should kiss already.” Clive concluded with a sudden boldness that had taken over him.
He bashfully looked away from the boy seated in front of him only then registering his words which he was starting to regret.
But Luke had stopped him before that by gently tugging at Clive’s school jumper, pulling the boy closer towards him as he raised his own head to catch the others lips in a sweet kiss.
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