Knight

14

Mason Maloney

I looked around Sam's living room as I waited for him to come back from the kitchen with drinks. The couch I was sitting on was soft and looked fairly new. There was a giant flat-screen TV hanging on the wall in front of the couch, complete with surround sound speakers. It seemed as though Sam's family was pretty well-off.

Footsteps from behind me caused me to look over my shoulder at Sam. He walked into the living room holding two glasses of water before setting them down on coasters on the coffee table. Sam sat down beside me, our thighs touching, and grabbed the TV remote to turn it on. He immediately changed the station to a sports channel that was talking about the highlights of the Thursday night NFL game.

I turned my gaze to Sam, who looked calm and cool, while I was swimming in nerves at our close proximity. Sam leaned back in his seat and threw his arm on the back of the couch behind me, leaning slightly closer to me. I didn't know whether I should lean into him, so I stayed put.

"Do you watch football?" Sam asked suddenly, his gaze still set on the TV.

I cleared my throat, afraid I wouldn't find my voice if I didn't. "Just the Patriots."

Sam hummed with a nod as he turned away from the TV to look at me. He seemed to be studying my face and while I wanted to look away so I wouldn't feel scrutinized, I didn't.

"Are you okay with being here?" Sam asked thoughtfully.

I pondered on his question for a moment. Of course, I was okay with being here. I just wasn't okay with how uneasy I felt and that was my own fault, not his.

"I wouldn't have come if I wasn't okay with it," I answered with a knowing look.

"So you're okay with this?" Sam put his arm around me, pulling me closer to his side.

Instead of feeling more nervous about the situation, I felt lighter. When Sam showed me affection, I wasn't afraid to show it back. What frightened me was making the first move when I wasn't sure what he wanted.

I smirked, resting my head on his shoulder. "I'm okay with this."

We sat like that for a while, Sam's arm draped over me to keep us close. Sam eventually shut the TV off when his program was over. The two of us sat in the darkness of his living room, the only light coming from the street lights that could be seen through the windows. I looked up at Sam to see that he as already looking down at me with an inviting gaze. He slipped his hand under my chin, pulling my face up to meet his in a brief kiss.

My eyes were still closed when Sam pulled away from the kiss, as if I was savoring the memory of it. I opened my eyes when I felt Sam pull away from me, standing up from the couch and holding his hand out for me to take. Of course, I took it without hesitation.

He easily maneuvered through his house in the dark, dragging me to the stairs while I clumsily followed him. We soon reached the stairs and I noticed as we ascended them that none of them creaked under our weight. Once we were at the top, Sam led me to a room at the end of the hallway.

The two of us entered Sam's room and I instantly began to look around. The walls were white and bare while the dark carpet on the floor was clear of any mess. A queen sized bed was positioned in the center of the room with dark blue bedding situated on top. It surprised me that his bed was made and his room looked neat and organized. It wasn't something you would expect from a teenage male.