The Suburbs

fourteen

Soul meets soul on lovers' lips.

[Percy Bysshe Shelley]

• • •

As the sun slithered through Kody's blinds, basking his crumpled sheets in sunlight, his hangover started to bleed through into his consciousness. He groaned, rolling over to shield his burning eyes, only to come face to face with Arlo. He was awake too, his lidded green eyes watching Kody curiously.

"Morning." Kody moaned, rubbing his face as he let out a long yawn. "Did you sleep okay?"

Arlo shook his head, "No." He replied honestly.

"Neither." Kody yawned again.

"I think we need to talk about what happened last night."

Kody sighed heavily and peeled the duvet off of his body, noticing that he was shirtless - he could've sworn he'd gone to bed fully dressed. Arlo's eyes were on him, his cheeks reddening as he examined Kody's bare, muscular chest. Kody pulled a shirt over his head and looked at Arlo, head tilted to the side calculatingly, "Do we have to talk about it?"

Arlo jumped out of bed, rubbing his temples as he fixed his glasses onto his face. He was wearing his boxers and one of Kody's short sleeved tops. The scars that lined his thighs and forearms were exposed, but Kody couldn't focus on anything but his pretty face and piercing eyes. "Kody..." He started quietly, "You take things as they come, and I love that about you. You're so relaxed and easy going, but...I'm not like that, I don't how to be like that. I'm not leaving here until I know where I stand with you."

Kody placed his hands on Arlo's hips, his fingertips slipping up his shirt, tracing the scars that decorated his hipbones. Until today, Kody hadn't realised just how much of Arlo's body was covered with shadows of his past suffering. But he brushed it off - that was a conversation for another day. Kody pulled Arlo closer, slipping an arm around his waist, leaning down to connect their lips softly. All the tension and apprehension faded away; Arlo was his relief. Kody pulled back, his forehead leant against Arlo's, "Do you know where you stand now?"

Arlo rolled his eyes and lightly pushed Kody away, "We're not in a romcom here, Kody. This is real life. We're hungover in your bedroom, smelling like vodka. You can't just kiss me and hope that everything will sort itself out. I need you to use your words, okay?"

Kody smiled, "You're so direct. There's no bullshit with you." He chuckled.

"Well, I've had enough bullshit. I want to have just one thing in my life that makes sense."

"And I can be that thing." Kody promised softly.

Arlo sighed, "Kody...what do want from me?"

He laughed incredulously, "I don't want anything from you, Arlo. I want you."

"What does that even mean?"

Kody grinned, "You're cute when you're frustrated."

"Fuck, Kody, you can't just say stuff like that! I thought were straight for...for months. And now you're kissing me and calling me cute? You're not allowed to do that unless you explain yourself. Please."

Kody rose his hands in surrender, "Okay." He mumbled. "I'm bisexual." He shrugged. "I've always preferred boys but when we moved down here, I decided to pretend to be straight. I'm not ashamed of my sexuality, I just thought it would make my life easier. And it did." He told Arlo honestly.

"Well, you weren't behaving very heterosexually last night."

Kody laughed again, "I like you, Arlo. I've liked you since day one and I'm sorry that I lied to you. I think you're amazing."

Arlo downcast his eyes, staring at the floor, his brows furrowed as if trying to sort through a puzzle in his mind, "W-Why?"

"Why do I like you?" Kody had to resist the urge to scoff. "Because you're pretty, and you're kind, and you don't let the stuff those pricks at school say get to you. You're independent, you're loyal, you're smart as fuck." Kody rambled. "Shit, Arlo, I don't know why I like you, I just do."

He was quiet for a few moments, before he sighed deeply, "I like you too."

Kody smirked, "So...?"

"So, what?"

"So, what do you wanna do now?"

"I don't know."

Kody took Arlo's hands in his and pulled him into his body, "I could kiss you." He murmured, brushing a stray curl out of Arlo's face and tucking it behind his ear. "If that's what you want."

Arlo answered by closing the gap between them, his lips pressing up against Kody's as his arms wrapped around the back of his neck. Kody tightened his grip on Arlo's waist, melting into the kiss, relishing in the smell of Arlo's shampoo. Every craving, every urge, every lustful thought from the last couple of months spilled out into the friction between the pair. It grew hot and desperate, each grabbing onto as much of the other as they could.

They parted with a knock at the door, each with warm cheeks and wide eyes. Arlo pulled his trousers on over his boxers as Kody hastily tried to flatten his hair, "Just a minute!"

The door opened anyway. It was Acadia, wearing a a white vest with no bra and a pair of cropped pyjamas shorts. "Your Mum's making blueberry pancakes so hurry up unless you want me to eat them all."

Kody rolled his eyes, "Can you maybe put some clothes on first?"

Her jaw dropped jokingly, "Are you stripping me of my right to wear whatever I-"

"You look like someone in the opening scene of a porno-"

"Well, as a feminist, you should know better than to tell me what I can and can't-"

"I don't care, Acadia, but think about my poor parents!"

"C'mon, Arlo, back me up here!"

Arlo started to laugh, "You two fight like siblings."

"Yeah, siblings who fucked that one time." Acadia scoffed.

Kody punched her in the shoulder and she yelped in shock, "Shut up." He murmured. "And cover those hickeys." He told her, draping one of his hoodies around her shoulders like a protective brother.

"Fine." She zipped the hoodie all the way to the top and left the room, "See you down there."

Kody turned to Arlo apologetically, "Uh...what Acadia said about..." He cleared his throat awkwardly, "It was only once and-"

"Kody." He chuckled. "I don't care who you fucked in London." He shrugged, and Kody breathed a sigh of relief.

Sophia, Acadia, and both of his parents were seated around the dining room table when he entered with Arlo. He introduced him quickly and Kody's family all smiled and delivered a chorus of greetings. The boys sat side by side as Kody's parents started quizzing them about the party, both giving away as little information as possible in an attempt to avoid getting into trouble.

Eventually, the subject changed and Kody released the tension from his shoulders. He was slowly adjusting to the scene in front of him. His worlds were colliding, the fragmented compartments of his little life were getting jumbled up and morphed together. His family, his best friend, and the boy he couldn't stop thinking about. They were all sat around the same table, eating the same food, partaking in the same conversation.

It felt like everything was finally sliding into place.