More Than Friends

Nail Polish

Stan

Stan played through the first hour with ease, actually enjoying himself. Kyle and Nichole hadn't shown up yet, but Stan kept an eye out for them.
He'd just gotten back from his first break when they strolled through the door. He watched as Kyle waved at Kenny and Red, before him and Nichole sat at an empty table. Kyle glanced up, spotting him and waved. Stan smiled and nodded at him before he started playing the song he had selected. As he played he watched Kyle and Nichole. As hard as he tried he couldn't quite push down the painful twinge in his chest as he watched them.
He finished the song he was playing and before he knew exactly what he was doing he started another one. As he started singing, every pent up feeling he had for his best friend bled into his voice.

And all I am is a man
I want the world in my hands
I hate the beach
But I stand in California with my toes in the sand
Use the sleeves of my sweater
Let's have an adventure
Head in the clouds but my gravity centered

Touch my neck and I'll touch yours
And I'll know our love
endures, oh
Oh, he knows what I think about
And what I think about
One love, two mouths
One love, one house
No shirts, no shoes
Just us, you find out
Nothing that I wouldn't wanna tell you about, no
'Cause it's too cold
For you here
And now, so let me hold
Both your hands in the holes of my sweater

And if I may just take your breath away
I don't mind if there's not much to say
Sometimes the silence guides a mind
To move to a place so far away
The goosebumps start to raise
The minute that my left hand meets your waist
And then I watch your face
Put my finger on your tongue 'cause you love to taste, yeah
These hearts adore, everyone the other beats hardest for
Inside this place is warm
Outside it starts to pour
Coming down

One love, two mouths
One love, one house
No shirts, no shoes
Just us, you find out
Nothing that I wouldn't wanna tell you about, no, no, no
'Cause it's too cold
For you here
And now, so let me hold
Both your hands in the holes of my sweater
'Cause it's too cold
For you here
And now, so let me hold
Both your hands in the holes of my sweater

Kyle

Kyle tapped his foot along with the music as he watched his best friend play. It never failed to amaze him how good Stan was. He looked over at Nichole who was watching with a soft smile on her face. He felt relief wash over him. Apparently it was a good idea to bring her here.
As the song ended he was slightly alarmed to see Nichole's eyes were glossy.
"Nichole…are you ok?"
She nodded, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. "Yeah, I'm fine."
She laughed, face pink.
He waited patiently for her to elaborate.
"I just didn't expect that much emotion. And the slight lyric change was sweet."
Kyle looked at her curiously. "Huh, I didn't notice."
She giggled and pulled her phone out of her purse. She typed something quickly before spinning the phone to show him.
"See, the original is about a girl. Stan changed the words to 'he'."
Kyle read through the words quickly, feeling even more confused. Why would Stan be singing about a guy?
Wait, did Stan like boys? Kyle realized he didn't exactly know Stan's preferences anymore, he'd just assumed he still liked girls.
His train of thought was interrupted when he heard the door to the coffee shop open.
He felt his blood run cold when he saw Bebe and Wendy walk in. His gaze met Nichole's, her expression wary as she watched Wendy and Bebe walk in. She met his eyes and they both glanced over in unison to where Kenny and Red were sitting. Kyle braced himself for the shit storm that was about to unfold.
He watched with bated breath as Wendy and Bebe sauntered up to the counter to place their order, Bebe's gaze flicking over to Red.
Kyle's attention shifted as he caught a flash of movement out the corner of his eye. Stan had sat his guitar on his chair and was weaving his way through the tables. He slid into the seat next to Red, effectively shielding her from Wendy and Bebe's view. Kyle breathed a sigh of relief before turning his attention back to Nichole. She smiled nervously at him, her gaze still flicking between him and the two girls at the counter. He reached over and took her hand, squeezing it reassuringly.
They turned to glance at Stan and Red again. Red was pressed against Stan's side as close as she could get, her hands gripping the table in front of her, knuckles white. Stan reached over and took one of her hands, running his finger over her knuckles. Kyle's eyes were drawn briefly to the dark blue nail polish on Stan's nails but before he had time to ponder it, Bebe headed straight for Stan, Kenny, and Red's table. He felt Nichole's grip on his hand tighten as they watched helplessly.