Project: Turn Gay Boy Straight // Boyxboy

Chapter 10 - The Beginning Of The End

*Cam's POV*

"Your idea of 'dinner' is milkshakes?-" I ask, when we approach our most beloved ice cream shop. "-great minds think alike."

Noah playfully leans against me. "Only the best for you, my majesty. Though if you want me to pay I'd like a promotion from shoe polisher to belt buffer."

I raise an eyebrow. "Belt buffer? If you're paying I'd promote you directly to second in command."

"Second in command?" He mimics me, even including the eyebrow raise - which I have to admit slightly surpassed my expectations - "What are we? 23rd century starship captains?"

"You're such a nerd." I tease as I hold the door open for Noah. He enters and I follow into the cool air conditioned building.

"You're the nerd for getting it."

"Touché." I add.

Neither of us add to the conversation until we each hand a frosty milkshake in our hands. "I don't really know how to handle...this." I gesture back and forth between us.

"Just take your time." Noah pulls himself into the nearest booth, I sit directly across from him. "Talk it out."

"I'm just going to come right out and say it. I'm sorry for trying to turn you straight. I can't believe I took you to a strip club." I tried to sound sincere but it was hard when you realize how stupid you were.

A few sips later we swap our milkshakes. "What on Earth made you think that was an okay thing to do? You're insane." Noah grins widely, causing his eyes to crinkle a bit around the edges.

I'd never seen him so at peace before, he looked -for a lack of better word- beautiful. It still an uncomfortable feeling when I would acknowledge my attraction to a man in a more-then-friends sorta way. After so long of suppressing those thoughts, it was hard to let them freely roam around in my head. "Again, I'm sorry. I was ignorant and naive. You can't just change someone, no matter how hard you want them too."

Noah nods his head understandingly. "I'm sorry for trying to turn you gay."

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on moment. "You did what?-" I couldn't believe it. Who could do such a wretched thing? I can't just be 'turned gay'-...oh. I get it now.

Noah's smile drops and a look of fear takes over. Maybe he thought he'd stepped just a little too far. I couldn't blame him though, I'd pretty much had been the exact opposite of a friend when he needed one most. When I make no sign of causing an outburst he continues. "I think I was using it as an excuse to kiss and flirt with you."

"Hmm." I mull over this information as I grab a napkin and quickly wipe away the condensation off my glass. Never In a million years would I have believed that I'd let ever let another man kiss me, but here I am, with an unfamiliar and overwhelmingly terrifying attraction to my best friend. I tried denying it once, and look were that got us. Maybe I'd been approaching it all wrong. "I have this feeling you'd have just found some other insane excuse to do so."

Noah was almost back to his cheery mood. He laughs. "I probably would have. I really like you, I always have."

I could feel my panic beginning to rise. My worst fear, It'd finally been said out loud. I couldn't deny it anymore, I had almost tricked myself into believing that if Noah didn't have feelings for me then I couldn't have feelings for him. My years of weaving the perfect safety net was destroyed by a single sentence.

I couldn't let this get to me, not again. If I pushed Noah away a second time he might not come back. So I suck it up, close my eyes and take a long shaky breath. "Okay."

It was an underwhelming response but it was something. Noah doesn't laugh, but his eyes light up just the same. "Is that your version of Han soloing me?"

"Trek and wars? Why am I still hanging out with you? You're so lame. Thankfully your hair overcompensates all your eternal lameness."

"Hey!" He tried to swat at me from across the booth but I was just mere centimetres out of his reach.

It was such an opportune moment that I couldn't stop myself from edging him on. "What are you gonna do? Shorty?"

Noah furrows his eyebrows. "You didn't."

"I did." This was too priceless.

Noah crosses him arms and pouts. "I take back everything I said! I don't like you, never have, never will!"

A large family shoots us a warning look from across the room. The preppy tween daughter was easily had the scariest glare of them all.

I shush him aggressively. "Shut up, loser."

"You don't mean that, you love me." The words slip out of Noah's mouth so naturally nothing could be done to take it back. The mood changes in an instant. Noah's eyes go wide with worry and his mouth hangs slightly open like he wanted so desperately to say something but nothing was coming out.

Do you know the worst part of all this?

Maybe I do love him.

But no, that's impossible. Sure, I can finally admit now that I'm -somewhat-attracted to him, but that's as far as it goes for me.

Right?

~
To be continued...