Twists of Fate (boyxboy)

Chapter 5

Ricky's eyes widened and he started rambling nonsense. I immediately knew he never expected my feelings for him to be so strong. He shook his head and got up, pacing around the room. There was no telling what could have been running through his mind at the moment.

 "I don't understand..." His voice sounded tense.

"I know. Like you, I learned how to mask it."

"No, I don't understand why you never told me." It almost seemed as if there was longing in his voice when he said that. It  kind of surprised me.

"I..." My head fell. "I didn't want to ruin our friendship, Ricky. I can't imagine my life without you in it. Having you by my side has been everything I could want and more for the past two years. I don't know what I'd do without you."

 He stopped and looked at me. "You really feel that strongly?"

I sighed and nodded. "I just... I was afraid to tell you. But then you told me that you had feelings for me, and there was no going around it."

He knelt down in front of me and glanced up into my eyes. "Nothing could ever ruin what we have." He grabbed my hand and held it gently. "I love you, Kaleb."

My stomach began doing flips at the sound of his words, and a small tear escaped my eye, sliding down my cheek. "I love you too, Ricky." Then, I leaned down and pressed my lips against his, and I kissed him with all the love I had felt towards him.

That kiss felt different from any I had experienced before. I felt passion, heat, and more, but it was all more intense than anything I could imagine. Ricky's lips matched my movements perfectly and I  could tell he was feeling everything as well. Could a kiss truly feel so perfect?

At some point in the kiss, another emotion crept inside me. Guilt. Lucas was still my boyfriend, but I knew that I had no other option anymore. I had to make a choice between him or Ricky. It would be unfair to drag them both along.

I also knew that someone would get hurt regardless of who I chose. Pain gripped at my heart when I thought about giving up either of them. Ricky must have sensed it because he pulled back, breaking the kiss. "Kaleb, are you okay?"

For a moment, I just sat there. I didn't know how to respond to his question. Was I supposed to tell him I might not be able to continue things with him? Or tell him I was going to break things off with Lucas?

My body shook a little, and I could feel tears coming. I lowered my head so Ricky couldn't see my eyes start to water. I loved him, but my feelings for him were matched by how I felt towards Lucas. How was I supposed to choose between my best friend and my boyfriend?

I stood up and faced away from Ricky. "I... I need to go."

He pulled my face to his, which bore a frown. "Did I do something wrong?"

I shook my head. "Of course not. I'll text you later."

After a quick kiss on his cheek, I opened the door and quickly made my way outside, needing a breath of fresh air. I inhaled the warm, late summer wind into my lungs and relaxed for a moment. My phone went off, causing me to jump. It was my standard ringtone, so I had to pull my phone out to see who was calling me.

Brent Swanson. Of all my friends, he probably stood in the top five. We'd met at freshman orientation and hit it off pretty smoothly. I answered my phone with a breath of relief. "Hey, Brent."

"Kaleb, what's up?"

"Just sitting outside. I needed some fresh air. Something up?"

"Me and some of the guys are planning to go clubbing tonight. Wanna join?"