More Than Friends (boyxboy)

Chapter 11: The escape

"What's up Bay?"

☆

It was a pinnacle moment. The hero and the villain head to head on a cliff edge. It could go either way, but Mark seemed to be distracted with something else, or to be more precise, someone else.

He had never really shown much interest in anyone at school, not in a potential drama or gossip perspective, but the four peers in the cinema, a few rows in front, had been more entertaining than the film itself.

Mark glances to his side. His friends were either into the film or into each other. They were not seeing what he was seeing. The friend of Bay's and the popular Lena inches from a kiss. It causes him to crack a smile. The interaction was so innocent. Just a small kiss on the girl's cheek from the boy, making her turn to face him and dish one back, right on his lips. The boy wasn't expecting it, but seems to get over his surprise quick enough, as soon, a more dedicated kiss prevails.

Then the two extra friends by their side begin to notice. Mark watches as the girl sees the two enjoying the private, yet public display of affection. She flicks her hair over her shoulder as if irritated as she fidgets in her seat, before her eyes return their gaze to the screen. Then he sees the look Bay is giving. A plain and simple stare at the scene, before he chooses to vacate his seat, causing his silhouette to invade the screen just for a moment as Mark sees Bay head out of the door and leave the darkened space. He watches as the door swings closed behind the other male, before he again looks at the canoodling pair, oblivious to the departure.

Mark furrows his brow in thought as he sucks on the straw of his fizzy drink. Why were the antics of four relatively mundane students suddenly so interesting to him? Why did he care about two kids innocently making out? Why one of the four had suddenly gotten up to leave? Why did nobody else seem to notice? He had probably just gone to the toilet, something like that. Mark draws his eyes away from the group and once again focuses on the big screen to see the villain has toppled over the cliff edge... Damn, he missed it.

***

Bay pushes open the door and steps out towards the bright lights of the corridor outside of the darkened cinema screen. He felt sick, but not the kind which came as a result of a stomach bug. This felt different. A feeling in his stomach likening to a heavy knot resting there. He felt overwhelmed at the unexpected sensation. All he had done was to look at Archie to see him kiss the girl. It wasn't news to him that Archie liked her. He had spoken of nothing else, along with his plans to kiss her, but Bay had clung onto the hope that she would not be interested in Archie that way. Lena was popular. The most popular girl in their year. She could have taken her pick of anyone. So why Archie?

He finds his feet making a dash for the bathroom as the urge to flee and hide away fills his bones. Bay makes his way through the door, heading straight for a stall and locking himself in. He leans against the closed door as he finds his fingers of one hand tug at his hair. "Idiot idiot!" He said through clenched teeth. As if Archie would see him as anything other than his friend. As if Archie would have been upset about Lena's rejection and sought comfort from Bay. As if that would have been the moment where he would have confessed his emerging feelings to his friend and they would end up in an embrace. What was he thinking?

He is in a world of internal turmoil when he hears the bathroom door open once again. It causes Bay to freeze and hold his breath. He didn't want to be noticed by anyone. He wanted to remain undiscovered, to wallow in his own personal rejection and misery for just a little while longer without being disturbed.

There he remains as still as still, until he thinks he is alone again once more. Bay straightens himself up, cleaning his throat. In here much longer, people would begin to question. The last thing he wanted was Archie pushing for a reason why he was locking himself in a bathroom. The confession that he felt more for him than your average friend, had to be pushed far away from his thoughts, more so now than before.

He unlocks the door and opens it, expecting to see no one, but he isn't alone after all, as sitting on the counter top by the sinks, legs swinging back and forth was another, looking at him with wonder. It causes Bay to physically jump back a little in fright at the sight of the other and causes the other male to question.

"What's up Bay?"