Three Cheers for Sweethearts [Frerard AU]

PART IV: Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6 – HONEY, THIS SUMMER WON'T BE LONG ENOUGH FOR THE TWO OF US

I didn't see Frank for the next two days because we didn't have any classes with similar exam schedules, so one of us would leave while the other arrived. I had stick to texting him and reliving every moment of the memory of that day until it was wrung dry of its effect. I wanted to be with him and create more memories, do more things, have something more for my mind to feed off of. I was afraid I hadn't paid close enough attention in the heat of the moment and that I'd forget it all soon, but I was too high to really care. It didn't matter what exactly happened, it mattered how happy it made me.

I overslept on the day of our History exam so I missed the review period entirely, but still I managed to flash a smile at Frank before starting the test, and another one before I left. He returned both.

"Oooh," Hunter sneered at me as soon as he caught up to me in the hallway. I just barely didn't make it out of the school building first. With nothing better to do, I turned around to face him. I could use some conflict to keep my mood from skyrocketing too high. "That smile! What's all that about?"

"Absolutely nothing," I grinned. "Have a good summer."

"I'm just glad your boyfriend won't be stalking me anymore! Frank has been the cause of all of my problems this year. Watching me put in my locker combination to put all those pill bottles in there! You know they found his name on one, right? Accusing me of breaking your nose! Scaring my girlfriend half to death by jumping out of her locker! I'M TELLING YOU I'M NOT OVER THIS!" He kept calling after me, practically jogging behind me to make sure he was heard. I laughed and waved over my shoulder sarcastically. With that I drove myself home. I wouldn't see him again until the next school year. 

What a note to end it all on.

I returned to school the next day for our Theatre "exam." The exam wasn't so much a test as it was an excuse for Mr. Burner to make us clean up backstage. It wasn't until then that I really got to talk to Frank.

When I got to the room, Frank was facing away from me, so he didn't see me come in. Seeing him there made my heart skip a beat. Now that I could accept the pang in my chest every time I saw him, it was funny to think I'd ever thought that the feeling was anxiety. Similar, but certainly not the same.

I took advantage of my chance to stare at him without him seeing, only this time, knowing where our relationship really stood, there was no guilt. I admired the way his fingers twirled around his tie as he tried to resist straightening it.

I ran up and hugged him from behind. He let out a surprised squeaking noise, which turned into laughter when he saw who it was. I couldn't stop my smile. I don't know what I was ever afraid of.

"Your tie's placement looks particularly fine today," I teased. "So... who have you told? About us?" 

He grinned. "No one yet. Too shy, I guess. What about you?"

"No one, either. I feel like I should, though."

Before that day, I had texted Frank the whole story regarding Mr. Burner. I'd told him how Mr. Burner had identified my feelings before I really understood they were there, and how he was the first one to know how I felt. So, it wasn't much of a stretch to agree that this class was worthy of knowing first. Still, we weren't about to make some huge announcement. We just wanted to subtly make it noticeable.

"It'll be like practice for telling everyone else who we know better. They say coming out gets easier the more you do it," I said. Frank responded by sliding his hand into mine. My heart jumped like it used to every time I passed him in the hallway, but it was so easy to love the feeling after hating it for so long.

We spent the entire period holding hands, only breaking apart when we needed both hands to do something. It was such a relief to be able to talk to - or just generally interact with - Frank without wondering how he was feeling about it. Keeping him close to me was another feeling entirely: something simultaneously comforting and thrilling. All the mixed signals he'd been sending me were cleared up because we were together, and now there was no shame in him catching me staring. There was no more intentional avoidance. In fact, quite the opposite – we actively looked for opportunities to be together.

"Frank! Good to see you back! Do you want to help me move the- ooooh," Mr. Burner exclaimed loudly when he noticed our interlaced fingers. His face positively lit up. Suddenly, my heart pounded and I had second thoughts about coming out. No doubt Frank sensed my hesitation. Before I could let go of him, he gave my hand a squeeze. I suddenly remembered how to breathe. Mr. Burner continued. "Want to help me move the ladder to the other side of the stage?"

"Sure thing, Mr. Burner," Frank chuckled. He unlocked his fingers from mine and grabbed the other end of the ladder. Mr. Burner winked at me. I smiled back, unsure how else to react.

Mikey tapped me on the shoulder. I flinched, not seeing him there.

"So..." he said, waiting for an explanation before assuming something.

"Frank and I are together now," I said simply, but I couldn't help smiling at the sound of my own voice saying it out loud. I never knew how much I'd really wanted to.

"Cool," Mikey nodded, then walked away like it was nothing. Not that I expected Mikey to be against it at all, but I'd somehow also expected it to be harder to admit than that. Maybe it really would get easier the more I did it.

As we left Theatre, I made Frank promise to text me his summer schedule so we could get together sometime. On top of the world, you say things like that without thinking, but it was okay, because he was more than happy to agree. Of course he was. We were dating. It would take a long time to get used to understanding that concept.

I headed back to my locker at the end of the day, holding hands with Frank all the way there (after much persuasion from him that I didn't need to care what anyone else thought, as long as we were proud to say we had each other. I was definitely proud to call myself his boyfriend). We knew it was our last day of school together. I noticed more graffiti – luckily, the last I'd see that year.

It was on two lockers, the same message.

OTP

Frank stood in front of his, looking at it, and I stood in front of mine, doing the same. We exchanged a glance. Then burst out laughing.

I opened my locker and collected the last of my things, completely lost in thought. Nothing felt real. I felt like it was a joke, or something theoretical, that was bound to end before I could understand that I was dating Frank. I was dating Frank!

Ray would find out about everything on Friday, when Frank no doubt would go out of his way to tell him the good news. A goofy smile found my lips, hidden by the door of my locker, at the thought of the "I told you so" texts that would surely blow up my phone immediately.

"Have a good summer, Gee," Frank's voice met my ear much closer than I was used to. His head was right over my shoulder, muttering into my ear.

Before I could even say "you too," he planted a quick kiss on my cheek and disappeared.

If you'd told me a month ago that I'd be holding Frank's hand all day before leaving to drive home for the summer, I either would have punched you or laughed. Or maybe both. We'd spent some time being best friends, and some time being ex-friends, until the end. That was okay, though. We were better off as lovers, and not the other way around.

That was the last time I saw Frank that year. One more day until the end of school, and because I didn't have a Drawing exam, my summer began a day early. Anyway, I found myself not wanting to come back if I wouldn't see Frank; the few weeks I'd spent without him had made me realize how much I needed him around in order to feel like everything was as it should be.

So was I gay? Even now I wasn't sure. But something had changed, and that was that I didn't care. I was a boy, he was a boy, and I was beginning to realize that I could be in love with him. It didn't seem relevant anymore if I was into people of his gender, or people of any other genders. I was into him.

It's crazy how fast things can change.