For the First Time

Dream

"Dream! This place is INCREDIBLE!"
I sit across from George, watching him scarf down his pizza.
Sapnap laughs. "You don't have a Blaze Pizza in the UK?"
"Nnooo," he replies, banana peppers sliding down his face.
"You're an idiot," I say, rolling my eyes.
"Up next," George declares, "watches!"
"And light sabers!" Sapnap shouts.
The sun is edging closer to the horizon, and the water to our right shimmers a lovely blue-green. The restaurant was crowded, and once I was done eating, I put my face mask back on. It isn't super busy here, but I like to wear it, to be safe. The tables are long, and I'm thankful we found a spot overlooking the water.
"Do you come here a lot?" George asks, more seriously.
I can't help but giggle. "No, George, I've spent most of my nights talking to you."
"Oh," is all he says, blushing.
Sapnap is bouncing beside me. "Can we go now? I want to see the volcano over the lake before sunset!"
"Alright, alright," George says, shoving pizza in his mouth.
"Don't choke!" I say, reaching across the table to grab his arm.
George only proceeds to stuff more food in his mouth. "Idiot," I say with a scowl, pulling at his arm harder. Sapnap joins in on the struggle, grabbing his other wrist.
George yanks his arm away, sending the rest of the slice flying across the table into the water below.
"You jerks!" George hollers.
Sapnap and I bust out laughing, and we all leave quickly, eyes from the other customers on us.
"You both owe me more pizza." George wiggles between Snap and me. I love that he's walking close to me. I'm tempted to reach out and hold his hand. But he shoves his hands in his short pockets.
Sapnap leads us to the Margarita shop, and George orders one drink. "You're sharing with me. And you can pay me back to make up for the pizza."
"George, it was barely half a piece left."
"Look!" Sapnap yells.
We take seats at the stools facing the lake.
"Look! A car went into the water!" George exclaims.
"No, look at the volcano!" Sapnap yells.
"Give me the margarita!" I joke. I take the drink, pull down my mask, and take a long swig.
"You're our designated driver, idiot!" George says.
All I do is grin and lift my eyebrows. "Let's watch the volcano, so Sap doesn't beat us up." I take another sip of the margarita and watch the fire blaze into the sky.
Live music plays from behind us. It's a song by Jack Johnson, talking about banana pancakes, and I imagine myself making pancakes in the morning for George.
"That's pretty cool," George says, rolling his eyes.
We finish our drink, then walk to the jeweler in the more luxurious part of the outdoor mall.
"You think we'll wear these?" George is wrinkling his nose at the display outside of the shop, and I'm thankful we haven't gone in, so the workers don't hear us.
"We could get matching chains?" Sapnap offers.
George crinkles his nose further.
"Or," I say, unsure where my thoughts are going. "Or we could go home and play Minecraft."
"Alight!" George says, straightening up.
We leave Disney Springs in a hurry, joking and shoving each other the entire way to my car. It's cheesy, but I can't believe how light I feel, how I'm walking on air.
***
"Oh, George!" I say.
"Dream! No! Please, Dream!"
I can't help but bite my bottom lip at what he's saying.
"No, what, George?"
We're both seated on the couch side by side.
Sapnap is on George's other side, hooked to another computer and Xbox.
"PC is easier, Dream!"
"Or you just suck," Sapnap says with a laugh.
"Dream, Sapnap is making fun of me!"
On the screen, I've found George, and I start shooting him with my crossbow.
"Dream! DREAM!" George's shout makes me jump.
"You're so fucking loud!" I laugh.
"That's what...." Sapnap begins.
"Whaaaaaaaaaa?" I ask.
George scoffs.
"NEVERMIND! Dream, can I help you kill George?"
"Always," I answer without hesitation.
"No, you guys! Stooooop!"
Sapnap and I both begin shooting and hitting George as he attempts to escape the game.
As soon as he dies, he chucks his controller and crosses his arms.
Sapnap and I laugh and give each other an air high five.
George sticks out his tongue and says, "I lied. I like this more than PC because I like throwing the controller."
"I'm gonna go play with some friends online," Sapnap announces, getting to his feet and shutting off his system.
I feel his gaze on me and send him a friendly wave. "Night, Sapnap."
"Night, loser," George says, still pouting.
Sap only chuckles.
After a moment, we're alone, just the two of us. George leans into me, his arms still crossed.
I'm rigid at first but relax into his touch.
"Dream?"
"Yes?" I ask, putting my arm around him. He cozies into my side, and I love his warmth.
"Are we...?"
I swallow hard. It's the question I've been wondering all day. All we've done is kiss. And slept in the same bed. I want more, but I don't want to scare him away.
His head tilts to me, and his big, brown eyes send a rhythmic strum through my heart. "Are we what?" My question comes out as a whisper.
He rolls his eyes. "Are you my boyfriend?"
"Yes." My brain takes zero time even to consider his question, to think things through. Are we rushing things? Maybe? Or maybe this is the way things are meant to be.
"Finally, you damn idiot." His words surprise me, but even more so is the way he lurches away, gets up on his knees, and grabs my face with both of his hands. "I can't tell you how hard it's been keeping my hands off you all day."
He's pulling me to him, and I follow, climbing on top of him, my body buzzing with joy and disbelief and the warmth from my body pressing against George. George! My best friend.
He kisses me, and I cup his jaw in one hand, the other holding me up above him.
"Dream," he whispers, pulling his lips away from mine.
"Clay," I correct. None of this is for show; for the fans, this is real life.
I'm tempted to kiss him again and deepen it, shutting him up, so we don't have to break this moment of euphoria between us.
"Clay."
"What?" I ask, kissing his neck, which makes him squeal.
"Can we go to my room?"
"No," I say, moving to kiss the other side of his neck.
He runs his fingers through my curls, and I can't help but know he's been wanting to do that all day.
"Please. Sap will approve, but I'm sure he doesn't want to witness this."
This. Us being together intimately?
"I meant no; let's go to my room." I sit up, pull George to a sitting position, and hold him.
"Drea-Clay, you're a dork."
"I know," I say into his neck.
His body shutters, and I take it as a good sign. "Let's go before I change my mind about Sapnap seeing us," George says, his cheeks a deep red.