Billy Carter

Chapter 18: Nicotine

Annabelle apologised again and again to me for blabbing to her friends. I forgave her because there was no point holding a grudge (plus it was Christmas), but I was so anxious that Dad would find out I felt like I was walking on eggshells - one foot wrong and everything would fall apart.
And my friends didn't get it. They didn't understand the severity of the situation - and they couldn't unless I told them, which was never going to happen. I felt so isolated and alone, but I reassured myself that everything would be fine. Well, I tried to reassure myself.
While Annabelle cuddled up to my side and I put my arm around her (as a gesture of good will) Ollie held my other hand to lend his support while we watched a couple more movies. It was nice, but it also felt kind of weird being so openly affectionate in front of my friends - and we were only holding hands for Christ's sake. But we'd been keeping our relationship secret (needlessly, as it turned out) for so long now, I felt so nervous about being open about it. I felt guilty about that too, because I knew that if Oliver was, rather, an Olivia, I wouldn't be feeling nervous at all. I wasn't ashamed or embarrassed to be in a relationship with Ollie, but I was wary of how it could be confronting to some people. I mean, it shouldn't be, but that's just how it was - for the moment, at least. And as much as my friends said they were open-minded and weren't judgmental at all (and I believed them), I know accepting something in theory can be a lot easier than accepting it in real life, when it's out there right in front of you, holding hands in the living room. So I guess I was still nervous about the looks and how or if it would affect the way my friends saw me or thought of me.
So far so good though.
"We've got to get you a boyfriend," Annabelle piped up suddenly, frowning thoughtfully at Cynthia, who flushed red in embarrassment.
"W-what?"
"Hey, stuttering's Billy's thing!" Trent scolded her. I flipped him off.
"I hardly even stutter anymore," I grumbled.
"We need to find you a lad," Annabelle said to Cyn. "And Trent could do with a girl too."
"What about you, Annabelle?" Tony asked her, pointing out the fact that she was single as well.
"I'm not dating anymore until we finish school, remember?" she asked haughtily. "Besides, I've got a couple irons in the fire - it's you two I'm worried about. I'm going to set you both up at my New Year's party."
"Are you now?" Cyn asked. Trent, for once, was speechless.
"Yep," Annabelle answered. "You'll both have dates by the new year."
"Oh please," I snorted. "Trent's as suave as a newborn giraffe, and Cynthia's as flirtatious as a nun."
"Hey!" Cynthia exclaimed angrily. "I can be flirtatious!"
"Sure."
"I can! I'll show you - I'm in, Annabelle," Cyn told her determinedly.
"Awesome! Trent?"
"Uh-"
"Great! I've got the perfect girl for you, and the perfect guy for you too, Cyn."
"Do you know any gay guys you could try and set Guy up with?" Ollie asked her.
"He still trying to win you over?" I asked Ollie.
"Yeah, he's uh, not given up yet. He might if you're happy for me to tell him that we're together now though...?"
"Sure, go for it," I shrugged nonchalantly.
"Wait, you mean Guy's been flirting with you? Like, recently?" Annabelle asked, straightening up and frowning.
"Yeah, he's always trying to get me to go out with him at training and games and just... whenever," Ollie shrugged.
"He's not letting up, he really likes you," Tony agreed.
"It's sort of my fault. We snogged a bit at Nat's party - I kind of led him on a bit," Ollie admitted.
"But I told him that you two had a thing the day after Nat's party," Annabelle admitted. I shot her a look of disbelief. "And before you get all upset Bill, I only told him because he couldn't figure out what was going on with Ollie, and he was already suspicious that you two had something going on anyway."
"Wait, if he knows we're dating, why is he still trying to take you out?" I asked Ollie.
"He's really keen on Ollie," Annabelle told me. "Maybe he's trying to win you over?" she suggested to Ollie.
"Well... Maybe. But I'm dating Billy, so if he knows that then-"
"Then perhaps he doesn't care," Tony said with a laugh. "Watch out Bill, Guy's trying to steal your man," Tony teased me.
"I might have to chain you to my bed then," I told Ollie.
"I might actually be ok with that," Ollie nodded, smiling at me.
"Oh, kinky - I love it!" Jenny exclaimed.
"I don't." We all turned around to see Principal Connors walking by towards the kitchen.
"It's just a joke, dad," Ollie told him, blushing magenta.
"I hope so," Luke said, giving me a quick wink - he was just messing with Ollie. "Just lock the door, alright? I don't need to burst in on you two again."
"OH MY GOD!" all our friends (except for Cynthia, who already knew the story) exclaimed. They immediately started bombarding us with questions as Ollie's dad made his escape back upstairs to his office with a glass of water, cackling evilly at the embarrassing situation he'd landed me and Ollie in.
"Don't tell me he walked in on you two?!" Annabelle exclaimed, slapping my arm (hard) in her excitement.
"Um, only once," I admitted.
"What were you doing?" she asked, getting nosy. "Like, were you just snogging, or were you shagging or something?"
"We weren't shagging," Ollie said quickly. "We, uh, haven't quite got there yet. Not that it's any of your business," he added, turning red.
"They weren't snogging though," Cynthia said, grinning wickedly at us.
"What were you doing then?" Annabelle asked.
"It's none of your business!" Ollie told her.
"You know those tips you were giving Billy?" Cynthia asked Annabelle. "Well they came in handy."
"Cynthia!" Ollie and I both exclaimed while Annabelle squealed with delight.
"That's for saying I can't be flirtatious!"
"Oh my God you were going down on him?!" Annabelle asked me excitedly. Trent pulled a face. "Is he good?" she asked Ollie. "I taught him that, you know!"
The others all roared with laughter while Ollie and I blushed and stuttered uselessly.
"But it wasn't just Ollie's dad who walked in on them - Nelly did too!" Cynthia told the others, cackling wildly. I could see she was having fun with this, at least.
"Jesus Christ, I wish I could've seen that!" Trent laughed. "I mean, not like- oh, you know what I mean."
"Do we? You trying to tell us something, Trent?" I teased him. His cheeks reddened.
"Why don't we go back to talking about you sucking cock, huh?" he retorted.
"Jesus Christ Trent, it's not that bad," Annabelle told him, rolling her eyes. "You ever gone down on a girl before? I think that'd be grosser than going down on a guy."
"It's not bad," Ollie shrugged. "Just not really my thing. Obviously."
"Oh ok, wow," Tony laughed. "Mister Experienced over here."
Jenny elbowed him and shot him a glare. "See? Even Ollie's done it!" she told him. "So why won't you go down on me? I go down on you all the time!"
"Well, I, uh-" Tony spluttered uncomfortably. "Can't we keep our sex life a little more private, Jenny?" he asked her, sounding a little irritated - I mean I get it; we were all laughing at him now.
"Well that's not fair; I mean apparently our sex life is fair game," I told him, jabbing my thumb at Ollie.
"I'd be happy to boast about mine, except... I don't currently have one," Trent said awkwardly.
"Aw, honey," Annabelle pouted sadly at him. "It's alright; the lass I've got in mind for you is down for all sorts of crazy shit. You'll be shagging by ten o'clock."
"Amen," Trent replied.
"Just make sure you use protection, because that's exactly how I was conceived," I warned him, and Ollie laughed beside me.
"Hey, what's the time?" Cynthia asked suddenly.
"Four o'clock," Ollie told her, glancing at his phone.
"Shit!" she exclaimed, scrambling to her feet. "We've got family coming over for dinner, I've gotta go!"
"We better get going as well, actually," Tony agreed, as he and Jenny got up too. "Thanks for having us Ollie."
"Yeah, thanks for having us," Jenny agreed. Everyone else decided it was a good idea to go home too, so me and Ollie and Blue Jean walked everyone to the door to say goodbye. Jenny gave Ollie a kiss on the cheek, then Annabelle came up and wrapped her arms around us, pulling us both in for a hug.
"If you guys are ever interested in a threesome, promise you'll let me know," she whispered to us, then gave us both a kiss on the cheek. "I know you're gay Ollie, but I'll do my best to make you doubt it."
Ollie blushed. "Oh, thank you Annabelle, but-"
"Shh." She pulled back and put a finger to his lips to shush him.
"I for one think it's a great idea," I piped up. Ollie raised an eyebrow at me. "Or maybe not."
"I'll see you both Saturday night, if not before!" Annabelle said cheerily, giving us a wave before she and Cynthia climbed into her Mercedes.
"Bye." Ollie and I waved goodbye to everyone before we went back inside. "Well, I think they took your coming out very well," Ollie told me with a smile and a one-armed hug.
"Because they already knew!" I exclaimed.
"Yeah, but they didn't lynch you for it." I rolled my eyes and dragged my feet back to the couch and sat down. Blue Jean put her chin on my lap and snorted, and I scratched the top of her head. "Billy, it's all ok. No one will tell your dad," Ollie told me, sitting down beside me.
"They better fucking not."
"They won't."
"But what if they do?"
"But they won't, Bill."
"But what if they do?" I repeated.
"Then we'll deal with it."
"How?"
"Carefully and intelligently."
"I'm not careful or intelligent."
"But I am, I'm careful and intelligent enough for the both of us. I've got you covered."
"You just agreed that I'm not intelligent."
"You are intelligent, but you never listen to me when I tell you that so I didn't think there was a point arguing with you over it."
"I like arguing."
"I can tell. Why do you constantly put yourself down?"
I just shrugged. "Because it's true."
"But it's not true."
"It is true."
"We need to work on your self-esteem," Ollie sighed, putting his arm around my shoulders. "Come here." He leaned over and we kissed.
"Do you have family coming over too?" I asked him.
"Yes, but not until five o'clock. We haven't got much time though - better make the most of it." He grinned wickedly and gently pushed me onto my back on the couch, leaning over the top of me.
"Oh, ok," I said against his mouth, a little surprised by his aggressiveness.
"Too much?" he asked between kisses. I shook my head.
"Actually, it's pretty hot," I admitted. He smiled and laughed quietly.
"I can tell," he said, his hand brushing over my crotch.
"What if your mum comes home? We're in plain sight of the front door," I pointed out when he started pulling on my jeans.
"She won't be home until six, at the earliest," Ollie told me.
"And what if your dad comes downstairs again to check on the roast?"
"Then maybe we should just go up to my room...?"
"Yeah, ok."
"What about Blue?"
"Just leave the telly on for her, she loves watching it."