We're Just Friends

Chapter Three

I managed to find a clean pair of shorts and a tank top, wanting as little fabric on me as possible. I was already starting to sweat, and I had just gotten out of the shower not too long ago. I think today might be the day I melt into the puddle, and Alex calls me the Wicked Witch of the West, like he has before. Speaking of Alex, I checked my phone and noticed a text from him sent about five minutes ago, saying he had left the gym and was on his way home now. I wasn't sure which gym he went to, so I decided on having a smoothie while I waited. I pulled out the ingredients and put on some music, humming to myself. I made enough for Alex too, putting it in a jar and sticking it in the fridge to stay cold until he got home. Sitting down at the kitchen counter, I pulled out my laptop and booted up Stardew Valley, launching my personal save file.

I don't know how long I zoned out playing the game before I turned back in to a key in the front door. I checked the time on my phone, 7:37 pm, and logged off from my game. I turned in my chair to face Alex as he came in, and whatever words were going to come out of my mouth died on my tongue as soon as I saw him. He was shirtless, which I had seen before, but he was covered in sweat, giving him this glistening vibe that was wreaking havoc on my poor, poor heart. From the looks of it, he decided to jog home, and apparently got too hot in his shirt.

"Hey," Alex greeted, not looking at me and sounding very tired. Jesus, he even sounded hot. I hate it here. He dropped his keys into the bowl on the table in the entrance hall and stepped further into the kitchen, finally looking at me. He stopped short with his mouth hanging open, just staring wide-eyed at me. That was my look, get your own, pal. Whatever he was about to say was filled instead by silence.

"What?" I asked, suddenly getting nervous, afraid there was something on my face, like dried smoothie, or that I was actually just in my underwear. I looked down at myself and wiped my hand across my mouth, trying in vain to fix whatever must be there. I was dressed, so it must be the smoothie, although I have yet to feel it. I looked back up again only to find Alex standing much closer than before. He still had a star-struck look on his face, and brought his hand up to fix the sleeve of my tank-top, which must have slipped while I was playing Stardew. I shivered when his fingertips brushed my collarbone, my brain short-circuiting for a moment.

"Fuck, Cal," Alex whispered, looking every bit like a starved man.

I gulped, suddenly very aware of everything in the room. His bag had been dropped by the table, completely forgotten about. My computer's fan was going softly, still recovering from running Stardew. Alex's hand was resting gently on my chest, his fingertips still pressed against my collarbone. His fingers felt hot against my skin, and not in the normal way. I realised very quickly that even as affectionate as we were, we had never been affectionate like this before. Alex was standing almost between my legs, his hip against my knee. I could feel everything all at once. My heart started to race, and I hoped Alex couldn't feel it.

I finally looked back up at Alex, gulping with worry. All I could think about was if he could feel my heartbeat. My eyes met Alex's, and two things happened in quick succession. One, I noticed that Alex's pupils were blown wide, practically taking over the colour, and two, I heard a key in the door. Alex didn't seem to notice, instead focused very intently on something on my face.

"Hey boys," Alex's uncle's voice rang out, which seemed to shake Alex out of his stupor. "I'm staying the night because the guys for the AC will be here sometime tomorrow, and I know you'll both be at school-" He cut himself off suddenly, taking note of our position. Alex stepped back a bit, waving nonchalantly. "Everything okay?" Joe asked. I nodded, not trusting my voice right now. "Okay, well like I was saying, the AC will be fixed tomorrow, hopefully before you guys even get back from school." And just like that, the spell was broken. Alex backed away completely as Joe walked into the kitchen, setting some grocery bags on the counter. "I brought some food, thought maybe we could have a movie night?"