National Icon (BoyxBoy)

Chapter 14 ✔️

1 month later...

"So, you and Luke seem to be spending a lot of time together." Chris tries to comment casually when Harvey returns to the apartment late for the third time in a week, "What've you been doing?"

"Huh?" Harvey says distracted as he places his satchel on the countertop, "Oh yeah, he's been cheering me up." He smiles obliviously, taking a piece of popcorn from his friend's bowl and throwing it into his mouth, "We were just hanging out."

"Yeah?" Chris replies, unimpressed. He's trying to not be upset. After all, he's the one who asked Luke to cheer Harvey up. But, he'd expected some half-assed pep-talk, not hanging out. They'd never done so before, so why now? It's just so weird that his best friend and his crush suddenly want to spend so much time in each other's company.

"Uh...yeah? Chris, it's okay, all we do is talk about you anyway." Harvey laughs, light and melodic, and raises his left hand, smacking the younger upside the head, "Don't be so jealous."

"M'not jealous. I'm just wondering why you're spending so much time together that's all." Chris shrugs his shoulders sulkily, "You've never wanted to before. It's suspicious."

"Whatever you say, kiddo." Harvey smiles and ruffles his hair, sitting down next to him on the couch, "I don't like him like that, Bro. He's yours. He doesn't like me like that either." The older chuckles at the idea.

"I'll believe it when I see it." Chris grumbles, folding his arms, "And I'm not a kid."

~~~~

"Dude, have you seen my-" Harvey stops himself when he sees his best friend glowering at him with his favourite jacket in hand, "Thanks." He grins and pats his shoulder.

"Where you off to now? Partying with my soulmate again?" Chris half-snarls, his demeanor calm, but his eyes fiery like an attack dog.

"Dude, what the hell? We're just going to a club! Luke suggested it." Harvey defends himself, beyond confused.

"Oh yeah? Why can't I come?"

Harvey shrugs, putting on his jacket and ruffling his hair, "Because it's for 18 and older, and I hate to break it to you, kid, but you're 17."

Chris glares at him, his mood darkening even more as he watches Harvey make his way toward the door with his same cheerful aura, "Don't call me kid."

Harvey just tries to smile again, noticing Chris's demeanor but deciding against pointing it out, "I'll be sure to put in a good word for you."

~~~

"Did you see his face!?" Luke wheezes as he struggles to breathe through his laughter.

Harvey is practically dying, hands clutching his stomach and his face flushing an intense red, "Oh my god! I thought he was going to kill me!"

"Well he would've!" Luke bellows a laugh, "It looked like you were trying to take a picture of his arse!"

"Well I wasn't! Besides, it was actually quite a nice arse." Harvey mimics his friend's English accent.

"Screw you." Luke says, rolling his dark eyes and shoving his friend, "Anyway, it's not like you're any better, Dude"

"Ha ha." Harvey pushes Luke into the empty road, but Luke's  hand remains secured on the shorter man's arm, and they end up crashing down onto the ground.

"Umph." Luke's breath is wrenched out of him as Harvey falls onto his front.

The brunet looks down at the blond, staring into his deep, brown eyes; getting lost in them. He finds himself leaning downwards...downwards, until his lips are ghosting over the Luke's.

And then...

A giggle escapes his lips.

And suddenly both of the boys are cackling in each other's faces and rolling about under the midnight sky.

"We," Luke pauses for a breath and a laugh, "Are never going to do or talk about that again!"

Harvey, his face just as red with laughter as before, schools his expression and replies, "Dude, do what?"

Luke makes a devious face at him, then grabs his head and places a palm over Harvey's plump lips. He proceeds to make obscene kissing gestures on the back of his own hand.

"Oh Harvey kiss me!" He mocks, "I love you so much!"

"Get off of me you lunatic!"  Harvey laughs, shoving Luke away from him.

~~~~

"So you have no idea where he is?" Jefferson pleads as he stands in Harvey's doorway opposite Chris. It had taken a month before he'd managed to finish his press tour and promote his new film. As soon as he was free, he went to find Harvey.

"Look, man, I don't give a damn where that backstabbing, two timing, conniving, lying piece of sh-"

"Chris! Stop." Jefferson stops his rant, "What did he do?"

"Harvey and Luke, y'know, my crush," the younger stresses the word, "are spending a very condemning amount of time together. I'm not saying they're screwing each other, but that's the best explanation I can think of."

Chris says it all so fast that he has to breathe deeply for a few moments afterwards. Jefferson's face contorts with a hundred different emotions that run by at speed. Did Harvey not like him anymore? Had he gotten over him so fast? Or had he even liked him at all?

"But- but I thought he hated Luke?" Jeff reasons, trying to find any excuse.

"So did I," Chris went to close the door in the movie star's face, but his hand halts at the sullen expression, "Look," he sighs, "They went to some over-18s club, the Dark Horse, or something. That's all I know."

Jefferson let's out a sigh of relief and smiles at the young sophomore, "Thank you." He says, then makes his way down the hall to the stairs.

"And Jeff," Chris calls after him, then continues when the older turns to him, "He was really cut up about you leaving; I thought you should know."

Jeff just smiles brightly and continues on his way out.

~~~

He finds the pair together as they leave the club, clearly drunk off out of their mind. He's not sure how Harvey was able to get alcohol, considering he definitely wasn't of age.

They're so close, uncomfortably close, and Jeff wonders when his heart had started beating so sporadically.

He hadn't meant to become so attached to Harvey, hadn't meant to come so close to... falling in love. Especially in only a few days. But in the months after their meeting, even when they weren't in contact, he found his mind straying continuously towards the unruly-haired university student. He didn't think he'd be able to forget Harvey - he doesn't want to.

Jefferson zones back into the scene just as the pair start mimicking each other's accents. Then, in a sudden rush of movement, Harvey and Luke drop to the floor just feet away from where Jeff is hidden in the shadows of the alleyway.

Their position painfully reminded the star of his and Harvey's first meeting causing Jefferson to grimace involuntarily. When he looks again, the students are leaning, closer and closer and it looks like they're about to-

Jefferson turns away, disgusted and downtrodden.

Of course Harvey moved on, it's been over two months. Even so, it's shady of him to do that with his best friend's crush.

He starts to walk away, down the dark alleyway and onto the street on the other side. He's far, but not far enough away to miss the, ,"I love you." and "Kiss me Harvey" that is uttered from the handsome brit's mouth.