Friends Don't Kiss

Two

"AGHH!!" Darren jumped back against this wall. "Dude you could've poked my eye out!"

"Sorry." The towel guy smiled and rubbed his neck, making the towel slip a bit. Before another word was said Darren took him in. His muscles were toned and shiny (from the water), his expression was friendly and embarrassed, a slight red tinted his face, and his towel sat low on his hips. One slip and bam out comes the di-

"Long time no see Darren." Towel guy smiled and turned around, bending down to get some clothes.

"Yeah Cole. Been a while." Darren averted his gaze away from Cole's ass and instead focused on his hangnail. "What a coincidence we're dormmates."

Cole chuckled, "Yeah, I know. We can get into so much trouble just as we used to." He stood up and dropped the towel.

"Hey! Dude! Do that in the bathroom!" Darren exclaimed covering his eyes.

"Oh please, it's not like you haven't seen it before." Cole got fully dressed and sat on his bed. Darren however still had his hands over his reddened face. He remembered what 17 and 18-year-old Darren and Cole were up to. He slaps himself trying to get the memory out of his head. "Woah dude you good?" Cole leaned toward Darren, concern plastered over his face.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Darren got up and headed towards the door.

"Where you headed?" Cole followed.

"Oh, I don't know away from you."

"Who would run from this pretty face?"

"Everyone." Cole gasped and put his hand on his chest. "What'd you expect me to say?"

"You're just mean Dar-Bear." Cole winked down at him making Darren's cheeks burn. Now, Cole was a good-looking guy. Hazel eyes, light brown wavy hair, fair skin. But Darren's feelings for Cole burned in the fire that used to be their friendship. Cole just had this way of making him flustered.

"So you single?" Cole nudged Darren's side.

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"I would like to..." he ran his fingers up Darren's arm, "So I can know if your sweet ass is available."

"Oh shut up." Darren laughed and looked away. "And yes I am single." Darren could see Cole pump his fist out of the corner of his eye.

"Well, this year we can snag all the girls we want," Cole said. This made Darren wince though. He figured Cole already knew he was gay. And Cole's still keeping up this smokescreen? Maybe he was straight. Maybe he didn't like Darren when they were younger. Darren frowned. And Cole seemed to notice.

***

What'd I say? Cole thought. He could see Darren frowning at the ground when he mentioned the girls. "Hey, Dar-Bear..." Cole bumped him with his hip, "What's up?"

"I figured you knew..." Darren said. Cole inhaled. If he was about to say what he thought he was going to then...

"What is it?" Cole moved in front of Darren, cupping his face and making the other boy look at him.

"Ohw duwd come ohn." Cole couldn't hold it in. He burst out laughing at the sight of Darren's squished face. "Stop Cole." Darren rolled his eyes.

"Ok ok, Darren I'm sorry." He cleared his throat and put on serious mode.

Darren was shuffling uneasily which made Cole just want to hug the poor boy. This was a serious topic for him. "Uhm..well I'm gay.."

Cole was unfazed. "Ok?" He partially already knew but this meant that what they did...Darren...

"Ok good I thought you were gonna freak."

"Why would I?" Cole was honestly kinda hurt, "we were besties for so long Darren."

"Emphasis on the were." Darren sighed. Cole felt like he'd been stabbed. All those years with Darren, what they did together, how it ended, Cole knew it was his fault. But he didn't mean to hurt Darren. He cared for him. If Cole could take those years back and change what he did, he would.

"But it's whatever I'm just glad we have no problems." Darren smiled up at Cole.

"Yeah..." Cole returned a smile. Although it was fake.

***
Classes start tomorrow. Cole was not ready for it at all. He asked Darren if he wanted to go out for lunch but he said he already had plans with some Celesia girl. She had a cool name.

So Cole sat alone in a diner not too far from the university. Sure he had other friends but he didn't want to spend time with them at the moment. His mind kept wandering back to Darren. The sweet Darren that made his heart run. The cute Darren that made him laugh. The Darren he hurt those years ago.

He wasn't happy with what he did. But he didn't know what else to do. And Cole knew avoiding the subject wouldn't help at all. Apologizing would be the right thing to do. But if Darren doesn't bring it up neither will he. Apologies may he wanted but they aren't needed.

So Cole sat alone in his empty booth. That is until a girl came up. "Someone looks sad." She smiled at him.

"I was kinda sulking..." Cole took her hand, "but then you came over." He placed a single kiss on her knuckles.

She chuckled, "So then what'd ya say we get out of here?"

"I'd love that." The two got up and Cole led her to the door. Maybe this can get his mind off of Darren. Get his mind off of what they did together.

***

Darren sat across from Celesia at a new restaurant. She had ordered a burger with fries and ice cream. "Ugh, I hate ice cream."

Celesia's eyebrows raised, "What!?" She made it clear that she moved her chair away. "Ice cream is one of the BEST delicacies a person can have!"

Darren laughed, "Well it just feels weird on the tongue."

"Hm, a delicate tongue. Is that good or bad in bed Darren?" Darren could feel his face immediately burn and he buried it in his hands.

"Celesia!" She was just laughing at the embarrassed Darren.

"I'm sorry there was a chance and I took it." She ate some of her ice cream and thought for a second. "You never answered my question, Darren. Maybe you can't. I'll help you get laid."

Darren took his face out of his hands. "I'll have you know I'm not a virgin first of all." Celesia scoffed at that. "And Celesia, Cole seemed to like my tongue a lot." Darren immediately covered his mouth after he realized what he said.

"WHAT!?"

***
Hi guys. This chapter was quite fun to make. I hope you guys liked it! And I don't know if I'll have an author's note after every chapter. Probably not but who knows. Thanks for reading!