Public Displays of Affection (boyxboy)

Home - Chapter Seven

AN: Sorry for the missed week! Here is Chapter Seven. Poor Travis is very up and down, I know but he does have his reasons, I promise. :P ...I feel like this chapter is pivotal, but let's see...

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Travis waited for Jared at the front doors, assuming he'd catch him on his way out of the school. His friends found him first but this time Cal and Brad weren't alone. A few of the other guys were with them, a few girls too. Lana was one of them.

She smiled at Travis as the group slowed to talk to him.

"There you are," Cal said. "We're going to Jeff's place, he has a pool table."

"You can come," Jeff piped up.

Travis tore his gaze away from Lana, looking at the others. Jeff was pretty nice. They'd all hung out before, minus the girls. But their addition was a pleasant surprise. His eyes flew back to Lana. She was still smiling at him and he found himself smiling back.

"Uh, I can't," he finally said.

"Aw, why not?" she asked.

"Because..." Wait, why couldn't he again?

Lana was pretty and she was definitely interested in him. She was tall, almost as tall as he was, with a warm tan and long, straight, dark hair. Until today, they had never really spoken or crossed paths but his eyes had always been drawn to her.

Suddenly someone else caught his eye; a flash of light brown hair streaked with blond from the sun and Jared's gliding walk as he passed them.

"Oh, hey, Jared!" Travis said, not thinking.

Jared stopped and looked back at him, surprise written all over his face as Travis waved at him.

He walked over to his friend.

"We already made plans," he said, dropping an arm around Jared's shoulders. "But next time."

"You could both come," Lana said, looking at Jared, trying to gauge his interest.

For his part, Jared remained very still. He looked up at Travis, those big eyes trying to secretly read him, even though he was being completely obvious. There was no way that Jared would want to go hang out with these people and no way that Cal and Brad would want him around, plus there was the homework issue.

"Nah," Travis said, pushing Jared along. "I'm gonna flunk out of school if I don't  catch up on work."

His friends laughed but he couldn't help but catch the disappointment in Lana's eyes. She waved at him sadly as they all parted ways.

"What was that about?" Jared asked as they started walking.

"What?"

"You could have gone," Jared said.

Travis tore his gaze away from Lana's retreating back and looked at his friend.

Jared was doing that thing; the gentle, careful thing that he did when he was trying not to scare Travis away. He was walking slowly, talking gently and not looking directly at him.

Travis scowled. He wasn't some wild animal that was about to lash out. What the hell was Jared's problem?

He was about to ask him just that when he suddenly realized that his arm was still around Jared's shoulders.

Truthfully, he was startled. He stiffened at the realization that the two of them were walking home, out in the open, nice and close, like a proper couple.

Jared reached up and took his hand, making sure to keep him right where he was. They didn't speak as they continued. Travis even started to relax as they walked.