Friday was boring. Nothing notable happened at school, and Mike was too wrapped up in his thoughts to listen or say much of anything during lunch. But the day was over and the night was approaching, which meant members of the party were beginning to gather at his house.
Mike couldn’t say he was in the best mood for a movie night, but he wasn’t going to ruin everyone else’s fun because he was moping and worried that his best friend had figured out that he was in love with him.
Why else would he have been so adamant about ending the practice sessions? He had probably picked up on Mike’s feelings – which wasn’t hard to do – and felt uncomfortable.
But Mike couldn’t lose Will.
So he had to convince Will that he absolutely, 100% did not have a crush on him.
Easier said than done.
Mike had two modes, 0 and 100. If he couldn’t continue to exhibit how he felt about Will, about his feelings, he had to reel it back. But the only way Mike knew how to do that was through ignoring Will altogether.
Which maybe wasn’t the best strategy, but hey, it’ll probably convince him that Mike isn’t helplessly obsessed with him.
So Mike was sitting as far away from Will as possible while the movie droned on. His eyes were glued to the screen, because he couldn’t afford to let them stray towards his best friend. That doesn’t mean he knows what’s going on in the movie, though.
“Oh, yuck,” Lucas gagged. Mike zoned back in to see blood spray out of a man’s chest on screen. Max laughed at his reaction – she might not be able to see very well, but through a combination of El whispering plot points to her and her uncanny ability to know exactly when to make fun of people, she had a pretty clear idea of what was happening.
Mike’s eyes drooped and he checked the time. God, was it only 8:30? He needed a coke if he was going to stay awake. He got up to make his way to the kitchen.
The kitchen was quiet, with most of the sounds from the TV downstairs muffled by the floorboards. Mike opened the fridge and grabbed a can of 7-up, cracking it open immediately and taking a sip.
His mind wandered to Will again. Mike knows he never really handles matters of the heart very well, but he doesn’t understand what he’s supposed to do in this situation. Max or Lucas would probably tell him to just suck it up and talk it out with Will. Dustin would give him a look that said “you are the dumbest person ever” and tell him to go find someone to date or something. El– well, that would just be an awkward conversation.
Will would… Will would tell him that he’s overthinking everything. Will would never be mad at him for having these feelings. Mike just doesn’t want to have to deal with the aftermath. The distance Will would begin to put between them. It was easier to push Will away than for Will to push him away. But Mike was always a little selfish like that.
A throat cleared behind him and he turned to find the very subject of his thoughts looking at him shyly. “Um. Can I have one?”
Mike took another coke out of the fridge and handed it to Will. Their fingers brushed only slightly, but it was enough to make Mike look away, his heartbeat jolting out of rhythm.
Will thanked him and took a sip of the drink, eyes watching him carefully. “Is everything okay?”
Mike picked at the pull tab on his can. “Yeah…” he mumbled.
Will shuffled before taking a step closer. Mike looked up at him. He looked like he wanted to say something.
“…are you sure? You seem a bit closed-off.” Another step. There was only maybe a foot between them now.
Mike’s breath caught in his throat for a brief moment before he let out a wobbly exhale. “…yeah.”
Will held the can in his right hand while his left hung loosely at his side. His fingers twitched. “It seems like there’s something on your mind.”
The world felt so unfairly perfect right now. The quiet kitchen, the lights shining dimly from downstairs, the warmth of the indoor heating. Will’s undivided attention. But Mike still wanted. Just because things felt perfect doesn’t mean they couldn’t get better, and Mike was greedy.
It bears repeating that he only had so much self-control when it came to Will. He felt his eyes betray him, moving to glance down at Will’s lips. They looked dry. “Yeah.”
Will licked his lips. “Do you know any other words?” His words were teasing but his tone was serious – there was a film of tension settling around them that neither boy seemed to want to break.
The little worker bees in Mike’s brain were taking 10. “Y– um,” he mumbled.
Will smiled slightly and then his eyes glanced down. And Mike could feel the worker bees clocking out for the day.
words: 861
