Better Sorry than Safe

6.

"Sem, you made it!" Sophie greeted Sem with her trademark pearly white smile. "Come in, come in."

"Hey Sophie. Happy birthday." Sem stepped over the threshold of the front door, pulling the petite blonde in for a quick hug. 

"Thanks. You got your bike fixed then? Nick said it was broken or something, and that's why you weren't with him earlier."

"Yeah, it took a while, but it's fine now. A guy fixed it for me." 

Sure, just 'a guy.' Just the guy for who he'd impulsively started listening every Arctic Monkeys album in existence, merely because he owned a shirt of said band. Just the guy he'd been social media stalking ever since he'd learned his name, soaking up and analysing all the details that could be found on his profile. 

Connor had started at Valsten last year September, and did mechanical engineering. His surname was Judd. His birthday was December 23rd, and he was eighteen. He had Mexican roots, which explained the gorgeous tan skin. He'd recently liked a video on how to make your own wood burning pizza oven. Sem had memorised all that shit so quickly he could hands down go to Valsten college himself, if only homework was as interesting. 

As of now though, nothing was more interesting than his notifications. Sem's fingers constantly itched to reach for his phone, anxious to check and re-check if Connor had already accepted his friendship request. 

Of course, Sophie had no idea who 'a guy' was, nor how important he was. She had simply nodded, the subject done and dealt with for her. "Great. I'm glad your bike's fixed. Well, you know the way. See you inside." 

"Aight." Sem slipped out of his jacket, and tossed it onto the pile of coats on the staircase, before following Sophie into the living room. 

The place was completely packed with people, most of whom Sem recognised from school. Sophie always invited like, half their year to her birthday parties. But even through the background music and chattering, Sem still recognised Ethan's distinctly loud laugh from all the way across the room. It made it easy to find Nick, Ethan, Emma and Matthew all chilling on the big, fluffy couch in the corner. Sem poured himself a drink at the table, and then manoeuvred to them, greeting some other classmates on the way. 

"Hey!" Emma spotted Sem first. She brightened, and scooted over to give him a spot on the couch next to her. 

"Sem, great timing," Nick looking up at him."You get to have the tie-breaking vote. In the latest Avengers movie: Scarlett Johansson, or that chick who also plays Robin in 'How I Met Your Mother?' What do you say?" 

"Neither," Sem replied, keeping a straight face, while taking the seat next to Emma. "I really get hard for that angry, buff, green dude, obviously." 

Nick snorted at Sem's reply. "Hah, gay," he said, stretching out the second word. 

"Should've known you can't get a normal answer out of him Nick." Ethan rolled his eyes."He's never serious." 

Ethan was right: Sem was never serious about these things. He always made the same sarcastic jokes whenever his friends were discussing hot actresses. Like how he thought the old grandma character was the sexiest, to even claiming to crush on that lovely curvy spaceship in Star Trek. 

What would happen if Sem told them he was sort of serious this time? Would Connor want him to, if they ever did get together? Sem tensed, his own thoughts startling him. Whoa, what? He was getting way ahead of himself here. They'd talked once, and he was already planning his big coming out. 

The scariest part was that he'd actually consider it, if Connor wanted it. For now though? No way. 

Sem reached for his phone. Still no acceptance notification. Damn. Sliding his phone back in his pocket, he tried to focus on the conversation going on between his friends again.