[Alexander Aretz (SI) x Chase Davenport]
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Alex stood in front of the doors of Mission Creek High, staring at the rain that poured down just outside of the school. Just his luck that it would rain this intensely when he didn't have an umbrella. Everyone else had already left by that point, and he was just stuck inside.
He gave a defeated sigh and sat down on the floor, his backpack dropping next to him with a thud. He had to think about this situation.
The obvious option of calling his parents to pick him up wasn't possible. Even if he wanted to, neither of them was home, and his phone was already dead.
The thought of getting a classmate to walk with him crossed his mind for a second, but he quickly discarded it. He didn't really have any friends at school, so asking something like that would be insanely awkward.
No, he'd have to run home under the rain. The idea of getting home all wet and cold sounded dreadful, but he couldn't see any other option.
He stood up to hype himself up but he was interrupted as he heard a voice behind him, causing him to turn around.
"Alex? Why are you still here?"
Chase Davenport. Alex almost smiled when he saw him.
"Oh, y'know. Stuff... and things," Alex waved his hand dismissively, feeling a bit awkward.
Chase paused. He glanced at Alex, then at the rain outside, then back at Alex. "You're stuck here, aren't you?"
"... No," Alex lied through his teeth, looking away. He crossed his arms. "What are you doing here, anyway?"
"Just getting a headstart on a project," Chase answered with a smug smile. "I wanted to get it done before school ended, but... Well, I lost track of time."
As he explained, Chase moved his backpack to the side to reach into it, pulling out a small umbrella. Alex watched him for a moment in silence.
He wasn't sure if he could really call Chase a friend. They had known each other for, what? Two years? They were in a few of the same classes, but they had only recently started talking more outside of school after Chase found out Alex's grades were dropping and decided to help him out. And that was all there really was to it, just two guys studying together every once in a while. Nothing more than that. It wasn't like Alex thought of Chase nearly all the time and genuinely wished they could be closer. And he never stared at Chase as he explained all the dumb math he couldn't understand, or tried to inch his hand closer to Chase's.
No, Alexander Aretz definitely did not have a crush on Chase Davenport, and the mere idea of that was ridiculous and very much untrue. Which was why he was not about to ask Chase to walk him home that day.
"Uh, Alex," Chase's voice made Alex snap out of his thoughts. "You're staring."
Alex's face went bright red. He blinked a few times and looked away, back at the rain. "Sorry," he muttered under his breath.
Chase seemed to want to question him for a moment, but he shrugged it off. He adjusted his backpack and stepped towards the door.
"Hold on," Alex spoke up, the words escaping his mouth before he could really think about them. "Um. Can you walk me home?"
Damnit.
Chase turned to Alex and blinked in confusion. Neither of them was expecting that request, so they just stared at each other in awkward silence.
Before Alex could open his mouth again and embarrass himself further, Chase gestured for him to get closer. "Uh, sure, okay."
Alex swallowed and bit his tongue, hesitantly walking to Chase's side. He muttered a thank you with his eyes glued to the floor.
Neither of them said a thing as they walked outside, the sound of the rain hitting the top of the umbrella being the only sound around them. Their steps almost seemed to be perfectly in sync. Alex's arm occasionally brushed against the one Chase was using to hold the umbrella, and the thought of putting his hand over Chase's was almost impossible to ignore.
Alex felt both glad and upset that his house is fairly close to the school.
They walked for a couple of minutes – though it felt like hours for Alex – until they finally saw Alex's home. Alex let out a sigh of relief as they approached the doorstep.
"... Thanks," Alex said quietly, reaching for his keys and unlocking the door.
Chase nodded. "Of course."
Another pause. For the first time throughout the whole walk, Alex lifted his head to look at Chase. It almost felt like something was missing in this goodbye.
Without realizing it, they both leaned in closer. And closer. And closer... until their lips touched. The slightest of touches, the faintest of kisses. And it immediately sent a jolt of nerves throughout Alex's body. He quickly pulled away and shoved his keys in his pocket, opening the door in a hurry.
He let out an awkward laugh. "Well, uh! See you tomorrow!" He went into his house and slammed the door shut, breathing heavily.
... That actually happened. He just kissed Chase.
He let his backpack fall to the ground with a loud thud and he threw himself to the couch, burying his burning red face into a cushion.
Tomorrow was going to be dreadful.
