A Snowy Admission

Cody stood in the Delta Sig bathroom, his sweaty palms slick against the tile counter. He wanted to puke. Was it the nerves or the tequila? He glanced up at the mirror to steel himself for what was to come. He plunked himself down on the toilet. Tonight was the night he would finally tell Noel how he felt. All of it. Everything.

Tossing on a jacket to avoid the winter chill, Noel headed out into the brutal wintry mix. He started off down the street, shielding his face from the biting cold. He hopped into his silver Honda Civic and shot Cody a text: 

"I'm otw."

Cody's phone buzzed. He leapt up from his perch atop the toilet seat. It was Noel. A sudden rush of anxiety filled him. How was he going to tell him? Did Noel feel the same? How were they going to move past this if he shut him down? What if he- his thoughts screeched to a halt when his phone buzzed a second time. 

Noel: "Here." 

Cody unlocked the bathroom door and stepped out. A line of fuming, drunken partygoers scowled at him as he passed. He offered them a slight shrug of apology. There were other things on his mind. Struggling through the stumbling sea of college students and crushed red solo cups, Cody tried to work his way towards the stairs. Finally reaching the ground floor of the frat house, he scanned the room for any sign of Noel. Cody began pushing his way up to the front door when he felt a strong hand on his shoulder. 

"Hey," Noel spoke, raising his voice above the booming trap music. "Crazy seeing you here." 

"Surprise!" Cody said with a half-hearted laugh. 

After standing a few moments in awkward silence, Noel breaks the tension. 

"Want something to drink?" He offered.

"Actually, I was hoping I could talk to you." Cody uncomfortably ran his fingers through his perfectly coiffed brown hair. Noel raised his eyebrows. 

"We're at a party, dude. Kind of a weird spot for a chat." 

Cody's shoulders sank. 

"Oh, yeah. You're right."

Noel quickly spotted Cody's distress and knew he had to comply. 

"No, it's ok. Let's head outside." Noel takes Cody's shoulder in his firm grasp and leads him out, pushing past the swarm of people into the cold night. 

The sound of the party immediately became muffled as the pair stepped out onto the porch. They were alone except for a few stragglers smoking on the steps. Cody scuffed his feet in the light dusting of snow that had fallen. Noel could sense his stress. 

"What's up? I've noticed you've been acting kind of weird." Once again, Noel speaks first.

Cody looks down, covering his eyes with his hand, laughing softly as he shakes his head. 

"I don't know how to say this." 

A spark of hope ignites deep within Noel's chest. He takes a step closer, leaning into his friend's warmth. 

"You can tell me anything, Cody. You know that, right?" 

"I know." Cody sighed. "I'm just worried about what this could mean for us." 

Cody lifts his head to meet Noel's impenetrable gaze. Noel could see tiny flecks of snow nestled within Cody's thick lashes. Their eyes lock as they have so many times before, only this time, something was different. 

Cody looks down again and shoves his hands deep into the pockets of his army green chinos before opening his mouth to speak. 

"I think I love you."