More Than Friends (boyxboy)

Chapter 12: The Tension

"This doesn't affect our friendship."

☆

"What are you doing here?" Bay questions, surprised to see a familiar face sat on the sink's countertop. His legs swinging underneath as he looked back at Bay. 

"Been to the toilet, what else?" The other smirks as he pushes himself off the counter to stand. He takes a step closer to the other boy. His height is a fraction taller than his. "I just wanted to say thanks. Y'know for not making it obvious you know me. For keeping your end of the bargain. I feel a bit bad about it." Mark looks down at his reasonably expensive trainers. "I have this image…" 

"It's ok. I get it." Bay brushes past Mark as he heads towards the sink. He turns on the tap, needing something to distract from the awkwardness of the situation. 

"Do you. Really?" Mark suddenly turns and rests his body against the countertop once again as Bay washes his hands. 

Bay side eyes Mark as if he were stupid. "What's there not to get? You are popular, I am not. You are a role model to the masses, You are somebody, I'm just a nobody. Trust me, I get it." 

"That's not quite what I meant." Mark looks straight ahead as if drifting off into thought.

Bay turns to look at Mark's profile as he gazes into the distance, as Bay shakes the excess water from his hands. "So, what do you mean?" 

Mark seems to come back to the present as he smiles as if to himself only, as he looks at Bay, "I need more tutoring." 

Bay furrows his brow. "Oh, so you came in here to ask me? You could have just asked me at school." 

"Well, the thing is…" Mark exhales a heavy sigh. "I can't relax at school. People will find out about the sessions. Whereas my house on the weekends is largely unoccupied." 

"Your… house?" Bay feels his voice exaggerate the sentence. "You're inviting me to your house?" 

"Yeah. What's the problem?" Mark shrugs. "We can talk about ratios and probabilities as loud as we like." He laughs. 

It causes Bay to smile just a little. "I guess we could." 

"And other things." Mark's smile drops a little as he continues to look at the younger boy, but Bay doesn't see the underlying concern. Mark was going to leave it at first, but curiosity had gotten the better of him. More than the film on the screen. He had decided to follow the boy in the end. He had connected the dots that maybe something was off in that friend group he was with and for some reason, needed to know more.

"I don't imagine we have much else in common. You don't have to try to be nice. I see things for what they are." Bay deduces. 

"And what is that?"

"You want to be the best for your reputation and I sense my weekends will soon become available." The sentence only reminds him of that kiss he witnessed. He felt that weird feeling in the pit of his stomach once again. "So yeah. If you want extra help. I guess I can do it." 

Mark smiles, waiting a moment more in case Bay elaborated, but he doesn't. Mark finally turns and heads to the door. "I'll leave first." He says, as he walks out without another word, leaving Bay left staring at the space he had occupied.  He furrows his brow. That Mark guy was interesting to say the least. Maybe that's why he was so popular. He had the magical ability to become all things to everyone in any given situation. He could fit in wherever he wanted. "Chameleon."  Bay finds himself saying, before he turns to stare at his own reflection. "Loser." He says to himself, before heading to the door and back towards the screen. 

***

"Where did you go? You missed a crucial part of the film." Archie questions as they both get back onto the bus and filter into a seat. 

"Stomach ache. I'm ok now." Bay replies, not even giving his friend eye contact. "Anyways. I could say the same to you." 

"What do you mean? I didn't go anywhere." Archie points out. 

"You and Lena. Joined at the lips during most of the film." Bay now turns to look at Archie. He sees him subconsciously tug at his bottom lip, as his eyes begin to drift away as if to reminisce. 

"Oh…yeah." He giggles as he looks back at Bay. "We've decided to date."

"I kind of guessed that. Congratulations." Bay forces a smile as he quickly turns his head to look out of the window. 

Archie senses that Bay is trying to hide something. He puts a hand on his arm. "Bay, this doesn't affect our friendship." 

Bay looks at the hand on his jacket. "I know."  But their friendship had already begun to change before this point already. Especially for him. Archie smiles as he sits back in his seat. 

"How was Jojo?" 

Bay emits a snort of amusement. "I'm not her type and she isn't mine."

"That sucks. I wanted you two to get together. It would have been great for us to hang out as a foursome ...."

"Just because you now have a girlfriend doesn't mean I have to get one too. We're not clones of each other. We don't have to do the same things at the same time."

"Ok, ok!" Archie raises his hands up in defence. 

"I have other interests outside of us." Bay mumbles. 

"What? Teaching maths to some popular kid?" Archie laughs. 

"Keep it down. It's meant to be a secret." Bay puts his hand on Archie's mouth. "He will kill me if he knows you know." 

The hand is pulled away from his mouth. "So he's using you." 

"What if he is?" Bay shrugs. "I don't care because I like maths, so does he and you don't. See. We are not clones." 

"Ok, I've got the message." Archie rolls his eyes. He turns away a little from Bay, leaning into the bus aisle a fraction as Bay seems to do the same in the opposite direction. Both feeling the tension whidh has suddenly grown between them and the realisation that their friendship was slowly changing, whether they liked it or not.