Exchange Student (DenNor)

Chapter 6 - The Festivities

"What did you just say"?
"Ummm, nothing."
"No, you said 'I love you'"
"I did. I do."

Lukas stood quickly, trying to hide his face. In an instant he was at the door.

"I'm going to go to bed, see you in the morning."

And with that he left an equally embarrassed Mathias behind.
'I am an idiot', the Danish teen thought, 'The words's biggest idiot'.
~~

Lukas lays on his side to make more room for Emil, wide awake. He stares at a little spot on the wall deep in a war of emotions with his mind. Thoughts and ideas and bounce like a ball at a basketball game. His mind wonder on what to do, what to even feel at this point.

'Do I love him back?'

'I don't know, maybe.'

'I've never felt like this before'

'What am I going to do?'.

All night thoughts like these kept racing through his mind. He knows he is gay, but he's never told anyone. Talk like that would get one kicked out at his house, or worse grounded. So, he turns to the person he trusts most, literally.

"Hey, Emil, pssst." He says in hushed tones to the cocoon made of blankets next to him. Nothing.

Again he tries, just below speaking level, adding a poke or two for good measure.

The mass on the bed growl and turns over, with the voice of a serpent.

"What."

"I need to talk to you about something."

"Can't it wait till morning? I was text-"

"Mathias told me he loves me."

"Okay, I'm up, tell me the story gossip man."

~~

On the bed sits Lukas and Emil, at 3 a.m, a bowl of popcorn. Lukas had gotten to bed at 10:00 p.m, woken Emil up at 12:00am, and here they are now, 2 hours and another bowl of popcorn later.

"So, what are you going to do about it?"

Emil chops on a handful of popcorn when listening, as if each popped kernel will make the news more juicer.

"I don't know, what can I do?"

"I hear it's polite to say it back."

"Listen, sassy pants, it's not that easy."

"You don't love him back, do you?"

"I don't think so, or at least, not as much as he loves me."

"That's okay. Love is a changing feeling."

"I know. What am I suppose to tell him tomorrow morning?"

"I think you mean in 3 hours and just tell him the truth."

"Are you sure?"

"He does love you. Any one that is that brave can deal with this."

"Thanks Emil. So, how goes it with that exchanged student."

"We're just friends. Don't look at me like that."

Lukas is smirking at him, just a little. He knows there is something rotten in the state of Denmark.

"Come on, you're always texting him."
"I am not!"
As if on cue, Emil's phone begins to vibrate. 'Goddamn time difference' he thinks.
"We'll look at that."
"Whatever. We should probably go to sleep."