Hot Starry Nights

2:1 ~ Howard

  I didn't wake up last night. At all. I didn't have any nightmares, and I don't think Nat did either, or I would've woken up. When I woke up this morning we were cuddling. He had his leg wrapped around mine and his arms were hugging my waist. I'm not gay. I didn't like it. He's my best friend since I was five. That's it.

  "Whatcha makin?"

  "HOLY SHIT."

  "Did I startle you?"

  "Pancakes, Nat. Pancakes. Hand me the baking powder."

  "On it. Here."

  "Salt."

  "Here."

  "Sugar."

  "Come get it."

  "No."

  "I'm not giving it to you."

  I turn around. I try to grab it and he ducks. I try to grab it again and he tosses it up and catches it before I can. 

  "So that's how it is?"

  "That's how it is."

  I start chasing him and he spills sugar everywhere. As we round a corner, he trips and I bump into him. We fall to the floor next to each other panting.

  "Gimme the sugar."

  "Here. I'm too tired to keep going."

  I finish the pancakes and we watch movies all day. There isn't much else to do here. Around ten-thirty Nat gets off of me and goes to the bathroom. Except he's been gone for forty-nine minutes and twenty-three seconds. I mean, who's counting? I knock on the door. No answer.

  "Nat, if you don't answer me, I'm busting down the door."

  He walks out of my room. Well, more like stumbles. He's not walking straight, and he's leaning against the wall a bit.

  "Woah, are you okay? You're not even walking straight, and you-" He looks up at me.

  "You're drunk. How the hell are you drunk? I don't even keep alcohol."

  "Sorry Ward."

  "At least you can still talk straight. Come on, back to the living room."

  "Whyyyy? I don't want to. Let's go outside." He pulls me through the backdoor outside. I figure he wants to lay in the grass, but he keeps going. We run through the woods and eventually get to a clearing. I didn't know it was there, but it seems he did.

  "Do you remember in sixth grade, I got 'lost', and came to your house? And you told me to head home?"

  "Yeah, why?"

  "I reaallllyyyy didn't wanna go home. It was the first time my dad had beat me. So I ran. And eventually got here. I've hid here every now and then."

  "You've known about it for this long and I didn't?" He grinned.

  "Still think I'm bad at keeping secrets?" He climbs up a tree with ease onto a platform I didn't notice before. With some help, I eventually get up there too.

  "So what do you do up here?"

  "Shhh. Listen."

  I try. I stay quiet and listen. Soon, I hear all sorts of sounds. I hear a nearby creek, frogs, crickets, I hear the wind making the leaves rustle, and more. It's peaceful. Then I hear a bottle open. Alcohol. Nat, how long exactly have you been drinking? He hands it to me and opens another. Fuck it. I down it. Probably shouldn't. I have school tomorrow. Never mind. Fuck that too. I don't care right now.

  "That was really hot." Hwut.

  "Sorry?"

  "You look really hot right now."

  "I think I need more."

  "I just don't want to hide things from you anymore. Here."

  I down this one too, and another one. I think it's giving me a confidence boost, because I really want to kiss Nat right now. Wait, what? Where the FUCK did THAT come from?!

  "What are you thinking about?"

  "Things and stuff."

  "Oh fucking really, what things and stuff, dipshit."

  "Hey, hey. Calm down. That was a lot of dirty words. Not very nice of you. You shouldn't say things like that dumbass. I mean, smartass. I mean- never mind."

  "Yeah, okay. But you've avoided my question."

  "I don't remember it." 

  He crawls over to me and flops down next to me. "I asked what you were thinking about, dipshit."

  "Stop saying dirty words."

  "Answer my question then, dipshit."

  "What if I don't feel like it?"

  He flips over on top of me, his hands on each side of me. "I'll make you scream it."

  I grab his arms and flip us over so I'm on top of him. "You can try, but I won't be the one screaming. You'd be begging."

  He pushes himself up, his breath now hot on my lips. "We'll see."

  I push him down and lower my lips to his ear. "I think we both know how it is."

  He pushes my face away from his ear and in front of his face. Our mouths are centimeters away from each other. His eyes are wild and he's looking up and down at me. His lips part and I bite mine.