Layers (A boyxboy tale)

Confirmation

A burst of nervous adrenaline rushed through Zack as he woke up. Was he late? After a frantic search for his phone, he switched it on to check the time. 5 am. 5 freakin' am. Why was he up at 5 in the morning!? It was still dark outside! Sighing, he put the phone to the side before stepping out of the bed. He turned the light on to find some clothes. He thought back to Alex's attire and decided on some black jeans and shirt that he'd gotten as a birthday present. He didn't know why, but he just felt like putting in some effort.

Walking to the bathroom, he went through the normal routine. Halfway through, he noticed the pair of straighteners on the shelf. Running his fingers over it, Zack thought back to the people he'd met yesterday. He muffled a short burst of laughter. Why did he even care? Yes, they'd looked good, but that hadn't affected Zack in the past. How were these people any difference? He shook his head before swilling his mouth with water.

A quick walk back to his bedroom and a flick of a finger later, he was sitting on his bed with the PS3 whirring into action. Zack's eyes focused on the humanoids on the screen, not even acknowledging the passage of time. All too soon, sunlight was dancing across the wall. A quick glance at the time on his phone showed that it was almost time for his taxi to pick him up. He switched the TV and PS3 off before walking downstairs to the living room and flopped down onto the sofa to wait. Soon, he was sitting in the passenger seat of a black Renault espace. Several minutes passed before he got to school, the taxi still filled with the sound of laughter and banter from the other students.

As soon as the taxi slowed to a stop, Zack opened the door and stepped out. He walked through the school corridors to his guild room's door but stopped when the nervousness kicked in. Not knowing what to do, he froze. A familiar voice broke him out of his little trance.

"Hey! Why are you standing out here, on your own?"

Turning to the source of the voice, Zack's eyes met Alex's. A tense moment passed before Zack broke the silence.

"Should I go in?"

Zack's fingers started to twitch, a nervous habit in the making. Alex's head tilted to the side, with a grin that made him look like a Cheshire cat.

"Hold on a sec."

Without further explanation, Alex walked to the door, Zack moving out of the way already. After walking through it, Alex started talking to the teacher. Zack caught snippets of the conversation.

"Miss, Zack's with................No, he'll be.........Okay, okay......."

Soon, Zack found himself face to face with Alex. A hand grasped his own.

"Come on, let's go. Hang out with our little group. Trust me, you'll like it."

With no further warning, Zack was being dragged along the corridor. Stumbling, he managed to regain his footing. Constantly looking at the hand that was grasping his own, he didn't notice when he stepped into a small room with 5 other people. After sitting down, the conversation that the group had been having turned to Zack. Questions were being thrown at him, until Alex yelled at them to stop.

"Guys, he's new and nervous. Leave him be."

After a discreet wink at Zack, Alex continued the conversation. Zack looked back down at his hand. What was this feeling? It was like warm lightning in his chest. He didn't fancy this guy, that was impossible. For one, he was a guy! Zack had never even thought about being gay, never mind having the hots for a guy. Secondly, he'd only just met him. Even though he'd not been in any relationships, least of all wanted one, Zack was pretty darn sure that he had to actually get to know the person first.

He closed his eyes, trying to think. When he opened them, the conversation had stopped and everyone was looking at him.

"Wh-what?" he stuttered.

Like an unpaused CD, they started talking again with as if nothing had happened. Alex, however, was looking at Zack with unnerving intensity. When Alex's eyes met Zack's, for the second time that day, something switched in Zack's's mind.

He liked Alex.