On the Edge of Love (CarlxAlan)

Chapter 19: Carl

There was something about sitting in the truck bed of my old pickup, a blanket beneath us and the sky stretching wide above, that made everything feel a little less complicated. Like the world shrank down to just this moment, just me and Alan and the hum of the drive-in speakers crackling through the cool night air.

Alan had been the one to ask me to come tonight, which was a shift from how things usually went. Not that we hadn't been hanging out—because we had. More than ever. But it was always me nudging him, me making sure we still existed outside of stolen moments in quiet places.

So when he leaned against my truck after school and asked, "Wanna go to the drive-in later?" I nearly laughed in surprise.

"Yeah," I had said. "Yeah, I do."

And now, here we were.

By the time we pulled in, the sun had just started to dip below the horizon, streaking the sky in soft orange and purple. The whole place was half-full at best, people scattered in their cars and truck beds, a few clustered near the snack stand.

Alan parked next to me, rolling his window down as I leaned on the edge of his door.

"So," I said, "what are we watching?"

Alan blinked at me. "Oh, you think I planned this out?"

I let out a dry laugh. "You mean to tell me you invited me here without even knowing what's playing?"

Alan just grinned, all cocky and unbothered. "You don't go to a drive-in just for the movie, Carl."

I rolled my eyes. "Right. You go for the vibes."

He pointed at me. "Exactly."

I shook my head, but I was smiling.

We had barely paid attention to the previews, too wrapped up in our conversation about some drama unfolding in one of our classes. It wasn't until the opening credits started rolling that we realized what we were watching.

"Oh, it's that new action movie," I muttered, recognizing the title.

Alan nodded, then gave me a look. "You're not about to start critiquing this movie like a full-on film snob, are you?"

"I am a film snob," I said, grinning. "It's part of my charm."

Alan just snorted, pulling the blanket tighter around himself.

I took that as my cue. "Cold?"

He hesitated for half a second before shrugging. "A little."

I shifted, leaning back against the side of the truck bed, and opened my arm just slightly. A silent offer.

Alan stared for a moment before exhaling through his nose, shaking his head like he couldn't believe he was doing this, then scooted closer. He didn't go all in immediately, just tested it, his shoulder bumping mine.

I didn't push. I just let him settle.

For a while, we didn't talk. We just sat there, the weight of him against me a quiet, solid thing. The movie played, flashing bursts of action and color across the screen, but I barely absorbed any of it. My brain was too wrapped up in this—in him.

And then, out of nowhere, Alan murmured, "This feels... weird."

I turned slightly to look at him. "What do you mean?"

He hesitated, fingers toying with the hem of the blanket. "We've been friends forever. And now we're just... here. Like this."

I studied him. "Does it feel wrong?"

"No," he said immediately, shaking his head. "Just... different."

"Yeah," I admitted. "But I like different."

Alan exhaled, his lips curving slightly. "Yeah. Me too."

I swallowed, my chest tightening in that way it always did when I looked at him too long.

"Then stop overthinking and just—be here with me."

Alan didn't answer. He didn't have to.

Instead, he shifted again, just enough for his head to lean against my shoulder, his weight settling into me. And I let it happen, let myself sink into the warmth of him, let my fingers twitch against the blanket where they wanted to reach for his.

I didn't. Not yet.

But I would. Soon.