Connected To Him (ManxMan) ✔️

Part 1: Chapter 9

Chapter 9: How Ironic

Ethan was going to drive him mad.

Chris knew that the attraction that was steadily growing inside of him for Ethan would go crazy at the sight of the boy shirtless. So, it was no surprise when his breath halted in his chest at the sight of Ethan's warm skin on display.

Then, Ethan turned to face him. Chris' eyes had dropped down to the other boy's stomach and crotch so fast, he'd shocked himself. And, what he saw surprised him. Ethan had a surprising amount of definition for a man who he didn't know to be a part of any school-sponsored teams. But, the faint outline of his stomach was there, framed by taut skin. Luckily, Ethan turned back around almost immediately, saving Chris' heart the stress.

Still, the damage was done. Chris was wound up tighter than a spring and he feared that any second he would burst. Whether he would get angry or just pull Ethan into his arms, he wasn't entirely sure.

Either way, Chris struggled to keep his eyes off of the blond, grey-eyed boy. Chris tried to stay tuned in to the conversation, regardless. After Aiden and the three younger ones ran off towards the pool, they had started talking about some of their siblings. Chris was smiling, amused by the topic when his foot seemed to hit an invisible force. He started going down but recovered almost immediately. Chris thanked his dark skin for keeping the heating of his cheeks from becoming visible.

When Chris looked up to catch Ethan's reaction to the embarrassing trip, he followed the shorter boy's gaze to realize that during his fall, Courtney had grabbed onto him to stabilize him. Chris sent her a thankful smile but turned back to face Aaron when the other man tapped his shoulder.

Of course the embarrassing scene had been caused by Chris forgetting to tie his fucking shoe. Chris grumbled to himself before getting on one knee, internally relieved that Courtney wasn't able to keep her hands on him. Chris wouldn't want anyone to get confused. Chris had known Courtney since his first days at this school and she was definitely a friend of his friends.

However, Chris wasn't a super touchy person and Courtney seemed to touch him at every opportunity. But, because he didn't want to offend her, he simply dealt with the casual touches. Despite his consideration, Chris was still happy to get out of her grip.

Chris was eager to get his shoes tied and be done with it, but he sighed when he noticed that the group had slowed down for him.

"Guys, just go." He told them simply, sending them a smile when they didn't speed up immediately. As the group walked away, Chris' eyes found Ethan's bare back and he unconsciously licked his lips.

If he and Ethan would have been alone, he wouldn't have minded that he stayed behind. Chris only let himself imagine what that experience would have been like for a second before focusing on his shoes again.

"What has you zoning out?" Aaron asked, making Chris jump. He hadn't realized that Aaron stayed behind. Chris ducked his head again, hoping Aaron wouldn't realize that fact.

"No reason."

Aaron huffed as if he didn't believe it but decided not to push further. A couple of moments later, Chris finished and as he stood up, he saw their group turn the corner, now out of sight. He and Aaron began walking again, the hall filled with silence before Aaron began to speak.

"You know, you've been pretty distracted since we got here." Aaron told Chris, his eyes facing forward. "I'm not sure if it's because of a good or bad thing, but I want you to know that you can tell me."

Chris pursed his lips, thinking back on how much he had been noticing Ethan in a new light in the past 24 hours alone. The situation, which Chris still wanted to classify as simple attraction, could become more soon and Chris wanted to be able to talk to someone about it. On the other hand, while Aaron seemed open, Chris wasn't sure he wanted to put his sexuality on display in his new school yet. It was hard to tell how people would react and for the sake of his spot on their school's Rugby team, Chris would keep it a secret. However, Aaron's comment about honesty made him want to address something that had been bugging him.