Know Me (College AU)

14. Bonding Time

Zach arrived a little early to Fandy's dorm, but he did it on purpose. He hoped that when Fandy came home he would enter the kitchen to find a warm cooked meal sitting waiting for him.

When he entered, he found Nick sitting quietly on the couch, staring into space. He didn't even flinch when Zach came into the space.

"Oh, hey Nick." Zach greeted him. He had a bag of ingredients in his hand and he set it down on the counter.

"Hey Zach." Nick responded, standing up from his place on the couch. "You're staying over again tonight?" He walked over slowly. His likeness was that of a sneaky cat, sauntering towards Zach like he was prey.

"Yup." Zach said, beginning to unpack the groceries as Nick sat down on a counter stool. "Did you know he got the lead role in the school play?"

Nick seemed to perk up a bit. "That's amazing!" He smiled for a few seconds, then laid his face in his palm. He watched Zach as he tied up an apron, accentuating the curve of his hips and the broadness of his shoulders. Nick licked his lips. He hadn't forgot the whispers and moans he heard a week ago.

Zach took out a frying pan, taking oil out from the cupboard and beginning to heat it in the pan. This wasn't his first time cooking in Fandy and Nick's kitchen, so he knew where most of the tools were. He could feel Nick's catlike eyes roaming over him as he sliced chicken into cubes, preparing to put it in the pan.

"Zach." Nick suddenly said, the name sounding more like a question. "How did Fandy ever get such a good guy like you?"

Zach smiled slightly. Nick's kind words contributed to his realization. "Actually, I was lucky to find someone like Fandy, willing to date me." He smiled, tossing the chicken in and using the flipper to move it, wanting it to be fully cooked before he added in the vegetables. "We met at the party. I saw you dragging him towards the drink counter and thought he was the prettiest boy I had ever seen." Zach fell into memories, recalling that night.

Couples sat around him, infatuated with each other, as he stared at them with his black book. They didn't mind his watching, especially since he didn't seem to have any malicious intent.

He looked up for a moment, meeting eyes with a boy being dragged by another. His eyes were bright and full of excitement, and hair hair was stuck down with what looked like water. He was shocking, his presence making Zach lick his lips.

He sat for about five minutes writing down his observations about the boy in his notepad. Then, he stood up, taking his drink and walking in the way of the dreamy guy. He managed to muster up enough confidence to walk over, lean against the counter, and speak:

"Pretty boring party, eh?"

"Guess I made the first move." Zach smiled, cutting up peppers, onions, broccoli and carrots to bite-size pieces. "But he made the next ones. He asked me to kiss him on our second date." Zach recalled that night too. "It's my luck. Not his."

He looked over to find Nick smiling softly, although in his eyes all he could see was pain. He tossed the vegetables in, then got close to Nick, tilting his head. "You look upset."

Nick looked up immediately, seeing Zach so close to his face. "Just bummed. About Patrick." He said, then smiled at Zach. "But I heard you two after we broke up." He raised an eyebrow at Zach, prompting him to say something, but he didn't. Instead, he turned around, stirring the stir fry once again.

"That..." he said, after a moment's silence. "Was the best night I've ever had." He could only slightly imagine Fandy's gaped mouth, his fast-rising-and-falling chest, and the hardness that was so easy to create, without getting turned on in the kitchen.

"You're the first guy Fandy has ever done that kind of stuff with." Nick paused for a moment, then rephrased his sentence. "First person, actually."

Zach took the oyster and soy sauce and poured equal amounts into the stir fry. He then added water, mixed the ingredients up, then put the lid on to finish the dish. Fandy would be home any minute now.

"I really like him." As Zach said it aloud, he realized that this was the first time he said it to someone besides Fandy. But it was true.

"He likes you too." Nick was silent for a bit, contemplating wether to say the next sentence. "After... uh.... after your first date, Fandy came home and kinda... kinda broke down, I guess." He shrugged. "He's afraid to open up to anyone. 'Specially you."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, 'cause he likes you so much." He muttered, then looked up. Zach turned off the stove. He was about to say more, but the front door opened, and Zach rushed to greet him in the hallway.

"Hey, babe." Zach grinned, leaning against the wall. He watched as Fandy took off his shoes, sliding on some slippers.

Fandy turned, eyeing Zach up and down. He smirked. "Nice apron, cook."

"Come give the cook a kiss." Zach took a step towards him, placing his hands on Fandy's lips and easily stealing a kiss from him. Fandy tasted good, like he always did, although he could feel his hands shaking as they found their way to his shoulders.

Zach pulled away. "Your hands are so shaky." He picked one up, kissing his knuckles. "I'm sure you're hungry. I made you dinner!"

Fandy smiled softly, leaning in quickly to kiss the side of his lips. "Thank you."

"Is there any for me?" Nick asked, suddenly becoming happy when Fandy arrived. He didn't want to worry his friend, under no circumstances was that an option for him.

"Of course!" Zach smiled, and began serving the plates. "Eat up! I even made extra!"