The Hawthorne Effect (BoyXBoy)

Chapter 14: Whores & Laps.

I'm joined by Mason a few minutes after I arrive home. I text him to say I'm back from the trip and that he can pop round when he has time, and next thing I know he's helping me carry my suitcase up the stairs. When we eventually get into my room, I collapse onto the bed and exhale a deep, deep breath.

"Mason," I sigh. "Open the fucking window I'm fucking roasting after lugging that thing up the stairs."

He snorts before doing as I say. Afterwards, he sits on the chair behind my desk and turns it around to face me.

"So..." He does a hand movement. "Spill the beans."

"There's nothing to spill." I lie, my voice being muffled by the fact I'm now laying face down on my pillow.

"And that's why you ignored me the whole time you were there then?" He says sceptically.

"I was busy literally every hour."

"Doing?..." His tone is sparking with a desire to know every last detail of my time away.

"Theatre, cinema, food, filming, essay writing, photo taking... the usual media student stuff." Is what I give him to, hopefully, shut him up.

"Go anywhere nice?" I hear him put my suitcase in his lap and unzip it. "Tell me the tea while I look for my present."

"London Eye, some cinema place... that's about as excited as it got."

"And what about Charlie, did that get exciting?"

I don't have to even face him to know he's just winked at me.

"Nah." I lie.

Part of me wants to tell Mason everything that went down; I feel like I'm going to burst if I don't tell someone. But telling Mason is not on the cards right now. The last thing I want to do is out Charlie to somebody he doesn't know. He's obviously uncomfortable with his sexuality, whatever it is, enough already - so he doesn't need me playing Chinese Whispers with his secrets before he can even acknowledge them himself.

"Was he as annoying as you thought?" He ponders, rummaging through my case.

"Surprisingly, no. We didn't really see much of each other to be honest." I lie once again. "Your present should be in the zip pocket on the front."

"Ah, thanks." I hear him unzip the pocket and start to search through it.

The room suddenly falls silent for a few blissful seconds. Mason stops rummaging and I can hear him pull something out of case.

"So... nothing, like, happened between you two?"

"Except for sharing a room, no."

"You guys didn't, like, secretly have a romantic fling while you were there?"

"Nope."

"Then why am I looking at a Polaroid of him hugging you from behind and kissing you on the cheek?"

"JESUS, FUCK."

I didn't want to lose the photos so I put them in the front pocket to keep them safe... which is the same damn pocket that I put Mason's fucking present in.

I fling myself off my bed and run faster than I think I ever have. I snatch the photo out of his hand and hope that, somehow, this isn't happening.

But it is.

"Uh," I laugh nervously, peering down at the photo in my hand. "Surprise?"

"S-surprise?" He stutters out of shock. "Okay no. No, no, no.... no. No. You gu— did you and him... get together?"