Ticket Outta Loserville (Trames au)

Chapter 25- Tristan's POV

Even though we really should be doing some work, neither me or James have managed anything productive. We're sitting on his bedroom floor with the books open, but neither of us have been able to come up with anything. I think it's because I've heard so much about what a horrible time he has at home that it's influenced how I feel about it. Luckily, none of his family are here, so that makes it slightly less awkward. 

Eventually, to break the silence, I say "I guess you could say conflict is a theme in both books."

"Conflict is a theme in my whole life." says James airily. 

I laugh awkwardly- it's weird, we haven't been this uncomfortable around each other for a while. After a while, I can't handle it anymore. "Is something up?" I ask. "You're acting really weirdly."

James sighs. "I don't know. I guess I'm just confused."

"About what?" I ask.

He shrugs. "Just about how I feel. Do you ever just get that?" I nod- I know from a lot of experience what it's like to feel that way. Suddenly, it feels like I've opened the floodgates, as James just starts pouring everything out. He tells me all about his life, quite a lot of which I already know. But he builds on it, and I find out so much, enough that it feels like we've been friends forever rather than just for a few weeks. It feels like he talks for ages, but I'm not bored by any of it. "Sorry." he apologises after a while. "I didn't mean to unload all of that on you."

I smile. "It's ok. Sounds like you needed to get it all of your chest."

James nods. "Some of that is stuff that I haven't told anyone before. Not even my best friend knows." I have to smile at that- that he trusts me enough to tell me something that important, and that he thinks of me as almost like his best friend. I look up so that we make eye contact. I suddenly have a flashback to when he looked at me like this just before kissing me on the bathroom floor, but I feel totally different now- I want it to happen. I want James to kiss me again.

Hopefully he feels the same, as before I know it, I'm leaning in. Thankfully, James goes the rest of the way and presses our lips together. I don't really know what I'm doing, so the kiss is fairly slow and gentle at first. Our lips fit together perfectly, and so having James' lips move against mine is an amazing feeling. Soon enough, it gets a little more intense- James manages to coax my mouth open, and when I give in, he slips his tongue in and reaches to run a hand though my hair. 

Eventually, we have to break apart. "Wow." I say breathlessly.

James smirks. "You enjoyed that, then?"

I nod. "I did indeed." James puts an arm around my shoulders, and all I can think of is how much I want to kiss him again.

He reaches down to take my hand. "It really isn't normal for friends to kiss each other." he says. 

I laugh. "But nothing about us is normal."

"True." James agrees. "But I want to have something normal going on. You know, a sense of stability." My heart skips a beat- is he really about to suggest what I think he might be? "Tristan?" he says slowly.

"Yeah?" I answer.

I feel him take a deep breath. "You've been so lovely to me." he says shakily. "Even when I was horrible. And even though you quite frankly deserve better, I like you so much I figured it was worth a shot asking you if you wanted to be my boyfriend." 

I can't stop my smile, and in response I lean up and kiss him on the cheek. "Does that answer your question?"

James just laughs, pulling me into a hug. "Thank you." he says. "You're wonderful, I love you."

I hug him back tightly, a huge smile still on my face. "I love you too." After a long hug, during which James dissolves into tears which then sets me off, he kisses me again. He tastes of salty tears, but I'm just glad that they're because of happiness rather than of sadness, like I've seen him cry so many times before.

In the end, we try and do some work, but we're both in such a state of euphoria that it might take a while. I've wanted to be more than friends with James for ages, I've had a crush on him for god knows how long, and now he's finally my boyfriend. I never thought that someone like him would want to be with someone like me, but as I've learned recently, sometimes really unexpected things happen.

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I liked this chapter 😉 Let me know if you did too! Though the next one is going to be the last one 😢

I won't be updating this on Wednesday because I go back to school the day after, so I'll see you next Saturday. I have exams starting the next week, at least they're all over by Tuesday afternoon. My first one is a 3 hour one at 9am, kill me now 😁🔫