A single bet. Two people. And one month of free ice-cream.
Unspoken promises, heated gazes, and an inexplicable lust for each other. Will Tyler and Brandon confess their true feelings? Or will their playful banter and awkward moments dissolve into n...
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When it really came down to it, I knew I could say it. I couldn't remember the last time I had enjoyed high school this much. Sure, there was swimming that had kept me busy and my friends were great to laugh along with. A few girls here and there too. That was that, but now it was so much more. Tyler hadn't had a spectacular time in this school either...that much was public knowledge. Yet, whenever we were together, it was like fireworks in the night sky, finding long lost money in a jeans pocket, and spotting that last pair of clean socks in the pile of laundry. An inexplicable rush of happiness that left me breathless. Like the air we breathed, it became something I couldn't live without. I was drunk on the feeling of being together. Whether it was too early for me to think like that or not, it gave me the courage to say the words Tyler was longing to hear.
Tomorrow, after the talent show meeting, I was going to ask her out. For real.
And maybe make her high school as special as mine.
My mind reeled in the same direction for the rest of the night that day. By morning, Seth was bored out of his wits after listening to me practice the same line over and over again. He even ended up throwing his shoes at me when I suggested him to play Tyler's role for a minute. Why did he always agree to Tyler but not to me? I couldn't get his mindset. If I hadn't known him for years, I would have flagged him as Tyler's conspirator instead of my friend.
As expected, the news of what was going to happen today spread to Liam and Leo even before I woke up. The moment I inched an eye open, I knew something was off. The three of them hovered over my head, like scavengers looking at their next prey, their face plastered with secretive smiles.
"What?" I croaked out.
Liam folded his arms over his chest, and winked at me. "You're doing it today?"
Ignoring their inquisitive questions and ugly smirks, I pulled my blanket over my head. Someone jabbed me in the stomach (major suspect: Seth), but I turned over to my side and kicked my leg towards the perpetrators to shoo them away. I heard Leo grunt in his infamous throaty yelp, and the next moment my blanket was stripped off of me. An irritated whine left my mouth. They didn't return my blanket. Exasperated at their unrelenting attitude, I sat up, and asked them in a desperate voice, "Why are you doing this to me?"
Liam nodded at the two of them. They switched on the main lamp, and light flooded the room, making me squint as I adjusted to the change in brightness. What were they doing? Seth and Leo fumbled around the room, but Liam blocked my view so I couldn't see what they were holding in their hands.
Curiosity got the better of me, and really waking up now, I pushed Liam aside. "What the hell are-oh."
"You can give it to Tyler." Seth smiled.
I was touched.
In his hands were a dozen tulips, a light feathery pink color, wrapped around with a thin white ribbon around the green stems. Droplets of water glistened on the petals as Seth waved the bouquet in front of my face. I stretched out my hand, and took it, amazed that it was real. It smelled nice too. Flustered at their thoughtfulness, I whispered in awe, "Where did you get these?"
