A Slice of Life

Our Own Happiness Part 1

Aleksei had been acting weird, and Sam couldn't figure out why. It made him insecure, and mostly scared that Aleksei was starting to get doubts about their newfound relationship. Aleksei had been talking to Jenna a lot more often lately, and they did it in a very secretive way.

What if Aleksei liking Sam was just a phase, and he was more into Jenna after all?

And it wasn't even just Aleksei he was worried about. Jenna hardly ever kept things a secret from him, so why was she doing it now?

Why did neither of them tell him what was going on?

Sam had been wondering about it for days, and the uncertainty made him feel like a mess. Which was why Sam eventually took his phone out of his pocket, and shot Aleksei a text. He simply asked if they could meet up.

He needed to know if Aleksei was still into him, and the only way to find out, was to just ask him, in person. Maybe, if Aleksei was still into him, they could even go out on a date that night. Hanging out with Aleksei sounded appealing, especially since it had been days that the boys had seen each other for a longer period of time. Seeing him five minute a day simply wasn't cutting it.

Sam: Hey, can we meet up?

Aleksei: Yeah! Now? :)

Sam stared at his phone with mixed feelings. Why was Aleksei sending him an emoji? And not just any emoji. Why did he use that emoji? Aleksei hardly ever used emoji's, so why now? Did it mean he was truly happy to meet up with Sam, or was he pretending that he was happy? Sam needed to know.

Sam: Yeah, now would be good ;)

Aleksei practically skipped on his way to Sam's house, eager to put his and Jenna's plan into action. They'd been making preparations, and today was the final step: Jenna would sneak the cello out of the house so Sam could play with his own instrument. That always worked better.

By the time Aleksei arrived on Sam's doorstep and rang the bell, he could hardly fight the smile that was tugging at his lips. It was showtime.

When Sam pulled open the front door and found Aleksei genuinely happy and even smiling a little, he calmed down a bit. At least Aleksei seemed happy to see him, and it had to be a good sign.

"Hey!" Aleksei greeted Sam. While he still felt a little shy at times, pressing a kiss to Sam's lips now felt way more natural and easy. "Hey," he then repeated. "Now that I'm here, I was wondering... want to have dinner together tonight? I have a place in mind; the Orchid."

The Orchid? Sam frowned for a few seconds, wondering why on Earth Aleksei wanted to go to a fancy place like the Orchid. But it was a positive sign, right? Aleksei was willing to go out with the two of them and actually spend money to have a good time. Sam decided not to question Aleksei's motives, and just to go with it.

"I'd love to go there with you. But I need to change clothes because I need to look fancy if we're going there," he said, smiling warmly towards the other boy.

Sam was about to step into the hallway to go upstairs and change outfits, when Aleksei stopped him again.

Jenna was in the hallway. Correction: if all went according to plan, Jenna was in the hallway with Sam's cello in her hands right about now. They hadn't agreed on a specific time, but there was a good chance that if Sam walked there, he could see her. In a flash of panic, Aleksei grabbed Sam's shoulder to distract him. The other hand buried into Sam's hair as Alseksei pulled him into a deep, passionate kiss.

Jenna was in fact in the hallway, delicately handling Sam's cello case while trying not to catch his attention when she noticed Aleksei pulling Sam in for a kiss. She rolled her eyes and pulled a face before she continued her way outside. It was one thing to know about Sam and Aleksei—and she was happy for them—but that didn't mean she wanted to see them kiss.

All the while they were kissing, Aleksei had made sure to position himself and Sam so that Sam's back was turned to Jenna. He knew that she was long gone, yet, he continued kissing Sam for a little longer before pulling back. He stayed close, however, gently pressing his forehead to Sam's.

"Let's get changed, then?" he suggested, a little out of breath.

"Yeah," Sam replied, though he knew it was best not to change in the same room. Not after the kiss they just shared—a kiss that left him wanting more. And if they wanted to get a table in The Orchid, they didn't have time to mess around. "Maybe it's best if you change in my room, and I'll change in the bathroom."

"True," Aleksei agreed, realising Sam was right.

They were already very short on time as it was.

On their way to the restaurant Aleksei couldn't help but check his watch more often than usual and tap his fingers on the handles of his bike at every red sign. Even if he tried to tone it down, he knew he was acting antsy. Not at all like his calm self.

Sam noticed Aleksei's behaviour, and it made him feel restless to see him act antsy. Something was off about Aleksei.

Sam cleared his throat while they waited for the red light to turn green, watching Aleksei's hand tap on the handles. "Eh, is everything okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Aleksei claimed, knowing it was hardly convincing. He was glad Sam didn't push for more answers, because he couldn't provide them.

They made it to the restaurant in one piece. Aleksei attempted a polite close-lipped smile at the host. "I've made a reservation under the name Popov."

Sam was a bit surprised Aleksei made reservations beforehand—when had he done that? Besides, Aleksei was still looking around, acting nervous. It seemed as if he was expecting something to happen.

When they sat down at the table they got appointed to, he grabbed Aleksei's hand, squeezed it gently and forced a smile on his face. "Are you sure everything is okay? You're acting a bit weird."

"I--" Aleksei started, but he stopped mid-sentence and just stared at the entrance as the two people he'd been waiting for entered the restaurant.

Sam followed Aleksei's gaze, finding his parents enter the restaurant, being guided towards a table of their own. He immediately let go of Aleksei's hand, freaking out a little. How big was the chance to go on a date with Aleksei, in the same restaurant his parents picked for that night? Sam couldn't help but wonder if Aleksei knew about it, and if that was why he was being so secretive.

"Aleksei, what is going on?" Sam asked again.

"I..." Aleksei started again, before biting his lip. He felt his face going red. "I have a confession to make. Sam, I recorded us playing last night."

Don't forget to support the uploads of my co-author JuneDSilver  too!