Public Displays of Affection (boyxboy)

Chapter 17

AN: I didn't realize that this was the last chapter until I started to write it :(

~

They went to the movies, just like Jared said they would.

He showed up on Travis' doorsteps a few tense hours later, looking fresh and clean with his hair combed back and a flush on his cheeks. 

The way he was standing there, Travis was surprised that there wasn't a bouquet of flowers in his hand.

"Hey," Travis said, trying to sound casual even though it was obvious that he had showered and changed too. He scratched the back of his neck.

"Hi," Jared said. "Um, my parents gave me the car."

"Oh, cool."

Jared led him across the driveway without saying anything else and the tension was palpable as they got in the car. God, was it going to be like this all night? He didn't think he could handle this for much longer. Not with how he was feeling, still so raw from earlier. Like he'd been split wide open and there was no hope of ever getting everything back in again.

A hand landed on his briefly. Reassuring with the smallest gesture.

"I love them and all," Jared said. "But I think they try to be embarrassing on purpose."

Looking to see what he meant, Travis caught both of Jared's parents peeking out the window at them.

With a sense of foreboding, he looked over at his own house just in time to catch his mom giving them a thumbs up.

"Oh god. Let's get out of here."

"Yeah," Jared agreed.

He pulled the car out of the driveway and once they were half way up the street finally started to laugh.

Jared looked at Travis and their eyes met like a beam connecting them and Travis' fear ebbed into something else. Something glad that he was here, next to Jared.

It took getting to the theater, buying popcorn, candy and pop--which Jared insisted on paying for--eating half of it before the trailers started, playing the timeplay game--which Jared got second place in and Travis got fourth--and all of the ads to play before Travis finally summoned the courage to act.

He reached over as the opening credits played and without looking, found Jared's hand where it was sitting on his lap. He could hear his own heart in his ears louder than the music and couldn't believe how nervous this made him considering how their whole relationship had started and how detached he had been. Travis had literally sat in front of his friend and pulled his dick out of his pants like it was nothing. Now, a few months later, sitting in the dark with Jared, his whole body reacted to the way Jared entwined their fingers eagerly... the way he was so warm and open.

Travis could feel Jared's gaze on him. It was like a physical touch and all of Travis' gutsy nature and false bravado seemed to have vanished in a wisp of smoke sometime along this ride. And so he tried not to return the gaze--was genuinely afraid of how Jared was making him feel right now. 

But then his will left him and he looked at Jared whose gaze was strong and warm and filled with something like gratitude, as though he needed to thank Travis for taking his hand. And maybe the gesture really was as big as Travis felt like it was because not long ago he wouldn't have given Jared any sign of affection at all. Not when it came with a piece of himself attached.

Without breaking eye contact, Jared leaned toward him, closing the distance between them. His lips closed over Travis' in a way that had him thinking it was meant to be brief, and then changed mid way.