By The Way, I Love You

| Chapter 5 |

The week went by, as boring as the last. Tristan and Miles didn't talk about anything out of the ordinary. Miles didn't mention Tristan's sexuality, and Tristan didn't mention anything in that area to Miles. They talked about school, homework, their summers, and home life. Tristan's popularity changed. He was no longer the school's star football player. He was almost kicked off of the football team. He wasn't popular anymore. He was teased, bullied, and encouraged, but he didn't care about what anyone had to say. But Miles couldn't help but think about Tristan, and Tristan couldn't stop thinking about Miles. 

Tristan walked outside, leaning against his car. School was out, and he was ready to go home. He'd probably microwave some pizza, open a Mt. Dew, and play his PS4 for a few hours. Maybe later he'd pester his mom and then bother Miles. Maybe he'd flash his flashlight through the window until Miles glared at him and flipped him off. He didn't know yet, he just wanted to get out of this hell hole. Miles walked out to his car and saw Tristan standing against his own, deep in thought. 

Miles walked over to Tristan, smiling at him. "Got any plans tonight, Stevens?" He asked, looking up at Tristan. He would never get over how much taller he was than him. Tristan shrugged. "I dunno, Miles. I was planning on playing Call Of Duty or something tonight." He said, grinning down at Miles. Miles rolled his eyes. "Yeah, so you have no plans. Cool. Because I was planning on having a Star Wars marathon, and I thought that maybe my best friend would want to join me." He grinned up at Tristan, and Tristan shook his head. "There is NO WAY you're making me watch that fucking nerd movie series, Miles." He said. Miles rolled his eyes. "Shut up, Tristan. You literally only watch three movies and those moves are Stepbrothers, Talladega Nights, and Remember the Titans." Tristan scoffed. "Those movies are good!" He said. Miles grinned, going over to his car and opening the door. "I'll see you later, Tris." 

Miles walked into his house, tossing his backpack down on the floor. Tara walked into the living room, holding Alex, and Lilly followed Miles into the house. She tripped over his backpack and stumbled, her phone falling out of her hands and hitting the wooden floor. "Holy fuck! Jesus, Miles! Don't fucking leave your shit in the floor!" She scoffed, picking up her phone and walking off. Miles rolled his eyes and Tara looked at her, her eyes widening. "Excuse me, Lilly. We don't use that language in this house!" She said, staring at Lilly's retreating figure. Lilly shrugged. "Tell Miles not to leave his bag on the floor." She yelled as she went upstairs and went into her room. The door closed behind her and Tara sighed. "God..." 

Miles grinned, walking over to Tara and taking Alex from her arms. "Long day, mom?" He asked. She nodded. "Very long day." He smiled. "I'll help you make dinner. Oh, and mom?" He said, the end sounding more like a question than he wanted it to. She looked up at him. "Yeah?" She asked. He handed Alex to Charlie and bit his lip. "Is it cool if Tristan comes over to watch some movies tonight?" He asked. Tara smiled and nodded at him. "That's fine." 

Tristan was nervous, and there was no reason for him to be. He'd had movie marathons with Miles countless times in the past. This one should be no different. But it was different. It felt different. It had to be different, right? Tristan was being stupid. He was overreacting. He knew he was. And yet he couldn't make himself stop. Miles was overreacting as well, as he set up for the marathon. He and Tristan had a treehouse. Michael had built it when they were kids, and they'd use it for countless sleepovers. It was their 'Secret Hideout' for the longest time, even though it was never a secret. The treehouse was big. Michael, an architect, had designed the treehouse to fit Miles and Tristan up until adulthood. It was the size of a small house, resting in the middle of an Ash tree. Michael had even made the treehouse practically weatherproof. As Miles climbed inside, he saw that not much had changed. The leaves had grown over the treehouse, years of neglect visible, and the treehouse sat in the shade and kept it as perfect as it had been when they were children. 

The treehouse, now that Miles had swept and gotten rid of cobwebs, was looking pretty perfect, in Miles' opinion. He had set up a few blankets and pillows on the ground, put a basket full of snacks near the wall, and had even plugged his mini fridge back up and filled it with drinks. The projector was set up nearby, and the screen was hanging on the wall, clean white and waiting for a movie. Miles looked around and smiled. It was perfect. And he was excited. But he was nervous. There was no reason for him to be nervous, but deep down, he was nervous.

Tristan walked across the yard, seeing light coming from the treehouse window. He grinned and walked over to it. He stood underneath it, hearing footsteps, and smiled up at the window. "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair." He said, altering his voice to sound like a royal prince. Miles looked out of the window, grinning and rolling his eyes. "Shut up and climb up the ladder like a normal person, Tristan. I don't have hair long enough to climb and I don't have a scalp strong enough to hold your heavy ass." He said. 

Tristan pouted and climbed up the ladder, ducking as he climbed into the treehouse. Michael had made the treehouse tall, but he didn't anticipate Tristan's full height. "That's fucking rude, Miles. I'm not heavy." Tristan said, pouting at Miles. Miles poked Tristan's chest. "I think that muscle mass is heavy, and you have a lot of muscle mass, Tris." He looked Tristan up and down and Tristan could barely keep himself from blushing. "You're stupid, Miles." 

Tristan looked at Miles, who was staring at the screen with excitement in his eyes. No matter how many times he'd seen this movie, he still got excited when the fight scenes happened. Tristan stared at him, his heart moving excitedly. Miles looked at Tristan, scoffing. "Are you going to stare at me or watch the movie, Stevens? I thought we were homies, not homos..." He said, hoping that he didn't offend Tristan with his joke as soon as it left his mouth. To his relief, Tristan laughed. "I mean... I dunno about you but I'm pretty gay." Miles laughed, turning to face Tristan. "I can't say I'm NOT pretty gay, but that's not open for discussion at this time." He replied, smiling teasingly at his friend. Tristan looked at Miles, his eyes widening. "Are you gay, Miles?" He asked. "In simpler terms, yes. In more difficult terms, yes." Miles didn't feel like he was telling Tristan his deepest secret. He didn't feel like he was throwing out his heart and secrets for anyone to find them. He felt like he was telling Tristan something that he'd already known for a long, long time. 

Tristan looked at Miles. Both of the boys were breathing quietly, their chests rising and falling in rhythm, their eyes on each other as they sat across from each other, legs crossed, arms beside them, and hearts beating together as one. Miles bit the inside of his cheek, fighting the urge to kiss Tristan. Tristan, however, was fighting nothing. He looked at Miles, who was staring at him with the prettiest brown eyes he'd ever seen, and he leaned forward. Miles hesitated, wondering if he should lean forward. Tristan put his hand on Miles' cheek, looking past his eyes. Miles felt like he was looking into his soul. "Tell me to stop, Miles. Tell me to stop and I'll never try this again." He whispered. Miles, his breathing growing heavier with every increasing second, shook his head. He whispered two words before he broke the space between him and Tristan, bringing them together as one. "Never stop."