Strawberries and Stolen Kisses (boy x boy) [COMPLETED]

10.

Sam^

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The week passed like a blur. Sam and Liam did surprisingly well in art. The teacher raved for ages about their complex mixture of red and green, the contrasting colours creating what the teacher called "a dramatic dance of two shy lovers". Sam snorted at the teacher's fluffy bullshit and gladly took the A* mark she gave to them. What did she know?

Amber wasn't making life any easier. Dragging a protesting Liam away at every moment, Sam ended up barely seeing the brunette boy.

Chuckling at Amber's declaration of their 'obvious' love. Liam thought of ways to let Amber down quietly- he couldn't stand their one way relationship. If there was one thing Liam didn't like, it was pretending to be someone he wasn't.

All he wanted to do was to spend time with Sam and all the universe wanted to do, was to keep putting Amber in their way. She was obviously only spending time with Liam to put her mark down on the 'new guy'. The idea of being used sickened Liam, but he still couldn't come up with the energy to put a stop to it. What if she turned on him?

Sam comparatively half-heartedly listened to Chris and Holly's flirtation. As if they thought they could keep it from him! He had known them both long enough to see the shy blushes after every tease.

Emily wasn't any better. Dragging Sam off to quiet corners to talk about Yuna, Emily was starting tire Sam our with her spiraling. He was more than happy when he realised it was the weekend.

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Sunday came quicker than Sam realised. Dressed in what Sam deemed as his nicest, casual clothes, Sam texted Liam.

2pm until 3pm, you can read only one and I get to pick... bring cake and I'll make tea.

Liam responded in moments

Ok fine. But I get to actually talk to you about it after... and I only have Victoria sponge

Sam secretly was pleased but playing it cool he simply replied:

Fine.

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Two o'clock crept up on Sam and he was surprised when the doorbell rang. He hadn't even started looking for what he was going to show Liam, busy daydreaming about the other boy.

"Hey" Sam's grey eyes met warm brown ones.

"Come on Sam it's not going to be that bad! I will probably love whatever you show me"

Sam sighed, deciding to show Liam what he was working on last, the short story he wrote when sitting in the garden last Saturday. He hadn't even read it after writing it but decided it would get Liam off his back without reading anything Sam was seriously working on.

Grabbing the cake tin from Liam's hands, Sam went to the kitchen, cutting and plaiting two slices of the cake.

He took us time making the tea, not wanting to see Liam while he was reading his story. But finally he couldn't hold off the moment any longer. Armed with a tray holding two cups of tea and two plates of cake, Sam walked into the front room.

Liam was staring at the laptop intently and jumped out of his daze when Sam entered "I've read it twice" Liam said sheepishly.

Sam blushed, shoving cake into this mouth. "Yeah whatever let's not talk about this" he mumbled through the cake in his mouth

Holding the cup of tea Sam brought between his hands, Liam leaned back into the sofa. "Sam..." he made sure Sam was looking at him "it's beautiful" Liam said honestly.

Sam rubbed his neck "I wrote it last Saturday... I haven't actually read it back yet"

Liam smiled "read it"

Sam met the other boys' eyes again. Giving up when he saw the stubbornness that Liam's held, Sam decided it was better to read it than fight with Liam.

Reading his story again his mind wandered through a dream-like tale of a flower falling in love with the moon. Something the flower shouldn't love, he should love the sun, but ultimately he couldn't help himself. The story ended in the unknown, the flower professes his love for the moon in the cover of the night, hoping none of the other flowers would hear. But at the end of this admission, the story abruptly ends.

Sam blanched at the piece of himself he had cut out and put onto the page. He couldn't look at Liam for fear of what he would find in his eyes.

"Sam... you need to enter this into the competition" Liam whispered "I can't believe something so beautiful came out of a food-loving grumpy asshole" Liam joked, thinking fondly of the boy he had spend nearly every day since he had arrived with.

"I c-can't... it's not good enough I mean the ending!? Absolute rubbish! It's not believable!" Sam tried to backtrack.

Liam watched the panic in the other boy's face and took hold of his hands, not caring what it might signify. "Sam. Look at me. It's good. Really good! Fantastic even" Liam paused "Sam you need to get this out there. You're talented and the world needs to know it"

Sam stared at their clasped hands and a tear rolled down his face. He hadn't cried in years.

"Shit did I say something?" Liam panicked

"I'm crying because of how awful and cliché you sound" Sam teased, smiling though the tears pouring down his face "the truth is" he paused "no one has believed in me before, let alone my writing. Thank you, Liam" Sam's heart swelled.

Liam didn't know how to feel. Here was the most beautiful boy Liam's had ever seen and he was crying because of Liam. Sighing, Liam brushed away Sam's tears with his thumbs "I've never seen you show this much emotion before" he smiled.

Sam smiled too, Liam's was infectious "you'll be the only one to see it... apart from Chris who watched me cry after Aaron ripped up my copy of Cloud Atalas in year one." Sam started laughing

Liam really loved Sam's laugh. It lit up the other boy's face, turning his normally stormy eyes into a clear silver. "I'm glad I met you"

Sam smiled again "I'm glad I met you too"