The Fall of the Aftons

155: Michael Afton

The smile on Noah's face was everything. Michael didn't tell him that he was going to the dance since he wanted it to be a surprise. So when he finally his friend in the huge crowd of juniors and seniors, Noah's grin was so big that it made him laugh.

"I thought you weren't coming!" Noah exclaimed excitedly, giving Michael a huge hug. "What're you doing here?"

Michael laughed softly, hugging him back. "I thought I'd surprise you," he explained, smiling.

"I love your hair," Noah mumbled, stepping around him to examine Beth's work. "Did Elizabeth do it?"

He chuckled. "Yes, she did. I originally had it in a ponytail, but it didn't look good so she fixed it for me."

"I love how she incorporated the braid," Noah mused, gently brushing his fingers through the ponytail. "She made it look like it's your hair tie. It's awesome."

"I'll make sure she knows that," Michael promised, chuckling.

Noah suddenly grabbed Michael's shoulders, turning him around to study him closely. He flicked a tiny piece of lint off his shoulder, then grinned. "You're so handsome," he mused. "I-I-I mean, you always are—but you look great when you're dressed up so nicely."

Michael blushed, smiling awkwardly. "I'm really not," he said, chuckling. "You're twenty times more handsome than I could ever dream to be."

"Thanks," Noah said gratefully, grinning.

Michael and Noah chatted and danced throughout the night, playing around with one another. The food tasted terrible, the drinks were just overly watered-down juice, but the music was fun and they had a corner of the gymnasium all to themselves. Neither of them had dates, unlike the majority of the attendees, so it gave them the chance to hang out with each other without any siblings bothering them. Quite a few single girls asked Noah if he would dance with them, but he declined every single girl. It was quite surprising—especially because some of the girls were super popular.

"Are you waiting for someone certain to ask to dance with you?" Michael asked after what felt like the thousandth girl asked Noah to dance, laughing slightly.

Noah hesitated, his dancing stopping for a quick second. "Actually, yeah. I am waiting for someone specific." He chuckled slightly. "But if that special someone doesn't ask me to dance before the slow dance starts, I'll just have to ask the person myself," he explained, giving Michael a look that he couldn't quite interpret.

About forty minutes later, Noah had still declined every person who asked him to dance, even as the slow dance was growing achingly closer. Every single person. By the time the DJ's host announced it was "the time everyone was waiting for," he still had no one to dance with.

"Who's the lucky girl?" Michael asked teasingly, gently nudging Noah's side.

Noah chuckled, fidgeting with his tie. "He's not a girl," he said quietly. He turned to Michael and held his hand out, smiling nervously. "Will you dance with me? I know that you're not homosexual, but I am. I've had a massive crush on you for years now and I..." His words trailed off and he shook his head. "Will you dance with me?"

Michael froze, stunned. Me? I'm the special someone? "I-I, um... Yeah. Of course," he said quietly, taking Noah's hand.

Noah gasped, looking just as stunned as Michael felt. He grinned widely, gently spinning Michael into a small dance form. Michael's hand rested on his shoulder, and his arm was around Michael's waist. Their other hands were extended out to the side as they spun in a slow circle, their fingers interlocked.

A few moments later, Noah spoke. "I'm curious. Why did you accept to dance with me when you don't like me the way I like you?" he asked quietly, watching his feet.