We Make Mayhem [boyxboy]

Elise's Story, Part II

For the rest of the summer, Elise and Decker—she figured she might as well just use that name for him—spent almost every spare moment together. He drove Decker's—his—car to the farm every day and helped her muck out stalls. She taught him to ride and care for the horses, and how to clean their tack afterwards. She watched him rub the saddle soap into the leather, taking care to get in every nook and cranny of the bridle.

When he wasn't with Elise, Decker was fixing things. He made a full apology to his mother, and started doing things to help her out—fixing things around the house, grocery shopping, and cooking dinner. She had been praying every night that he would turn himself around. She got her wish.

He also cleared out their old garage and set it up as a workshop. When it was finished, he brought Elise there and showed her the strange engines and mechanisms he was building.

"I'm trying to recreate technology we have back home," he told her. "Mostly as an experiment, just to see if I can, but also because I think they can improve life here."

Elise couldn't believe how different he was, even though it was the same body. The name "Decker Lord" used to be synonymous with danger and recklessness. Now, Decker Lord was quiet, gentle, and wryly funny.

Elise found him more attractive than ever. So when the first day of school loomed on the horizon, a question started to burn up inside her. Finally, when they were exploring a riverbank in a provincial park near her grandparents' farm, she found the courage to ask.

"Decker," she began. She didn't find it difficult to call him that anymore.

"Yes, Elise?"

"Are you going to go to school?"

"Of course—every day, every class."   

"It's a big change," she said. "Going to class, hanging out with me... total one-eighty from who he was before."

Decker's eyes twinkled and he nudged her shoulder as they walked. "A major improvement in both attitude and taste in company."

Elise blushed. "I've been thinking. People are really going to talk when they see us together. So... my solution was that we pretend to be dating."

Decker stopped walking.

"People aren't going to believe that we just became friends," Elise continued, her cheeks on fire now. "If we're dating, people will think that you changed to impress me. They'll think you cleaned up to try to get me to sleep with you."

He blinked.

"It'll at least be believable," she blurted out. "Guys will do anything for sex. If that's what they think, they won't believe an alien has snatched Decker Lord's body."

He blinked again. "What would this entail?"

"W-we could hold hands at school," she stammered. "And maybe kiss a couple times. Just enough to sell it."

"Show me how."

Elise couldn't believe this was happening. She stepped closer to him and took his hand, pushing her fingers between his. He squeezed her hand. He was staring unflinchingly into her eyes. Elise laughed awkwardly, just to have something to do.

"So this is hand-holding. And this..." Decker Lord's face, empty of its old sneer, looked down at her with absolute sincerity. Here goes nothing, she thought. "This is kissing."

She closed her eyes, bounced up on the balls of her feet, and pressed her lips to his.

She meant for it to be quick, just to illustrate the principle, but as soon as their lips collided, she felt something akin to an electric shock jolt down her spine. She drew in a sharp breath through her nose. Their lips were still touching. Still. Still. Her eyes were closed. This felt... amazing.