Blane laughed breathily, eyes closed and cheeks flushed. Almost immediately, Nathan pressed his hand to Blane's mouth to shut him up. For a brief moment, Nathan and Blane simply looked at each other, and then they both collapsed into muffled giggles. Even without looking, Blane knew that Nathan's eyes were crinkling at the edges, and his blond hair was mussed. Blane's smile slipped a little, but then Nathan's gaze met his in the darkness and set him off again.
Eventually, the two of them were able to settle down and contain the occasional giggles that still threatened to burst out. Blane carefully avoided Nathan's eyes, knowing that one glance into those icy blue eyes would send Blane collapsing into laughter yet again.
"Is the door shut?" he asked instead, closing his eyes and breathing shallowly.
"Yeah," came Nathan's deep voice a moment later. "Do you think they'll find us?"
Blane considered for a moment. "Not any time I soon, I don't think," he finally whispered. "I mean, Michele is hiding behind the chair in Lorraine's room, and a couple of the guys are hiding under the pool table. And I know Micah said he was going to try and follow Amy for as long as he could before getting caught. Besides, this closet is pretty out of the way, and I don't think anyone saw us run in here." He heard Nathan hum in acknowledgement. A piece of hair tickled his forehead, and he moved his hand to brush his fringe out of his face.
Something clinked in the silence, and Blane froze.
"Huh," Nathan finally said casually, breaking the tense silence. "I forgot we were still cuffed together."
Blane slowly inched his hand to his sweaty forehead and brushed the hair away, then just as quietly moved his hand back down to his lap. The awkwardness in the air was nearly tangible. Blane felt his ears and neck heat up as a blush began to spread across his face.
Somehow, during an ill-advised game of Truth or Dare, the two of them had ended up handcuffed to each other. Blane wasn't entirely sure how it had happened, but he assumed that his best friend, Jenna, had orchestrated it. The knowing smirk she wore for the rest of the game only served to confirm his suspicions, and he had spent a good half hour plotting his revenge. Then, as always, he remembered just how serious Jenna could get during a prank war, and, as always, he gave it up as a lost cause.
As far as he could tell, they were stuck together until one of them had to return home. Blane was fairly certain he could pick the lock with ease if he could only find a bobby pin, but Jenna's cool glare when she had found him digging around in the bathroom for one had cowed him, and he resigned himself to being stuck with Nathan for the rest of the night.
Not that that was a bad thing, necessarily. Nathan was a tall senior with shaggy blond hair, ice-blue eyes that seemed to see all, and a fit body that had all the girls drooling. Blane had been carrying a flame for Nathan for years, ever since Nathan had been in eighth grade and Blane in seventh and they had worked on a math assignment together. And despite how much Jenna teased him, it wasn't just because Nathan was the hottest guy in their school. Even though he had every reason to be arrogant or stuck-up--he was on course to becoming valedictorian, he was an exceptional tennis player, and he volunteered all the time at the local animal shelter--Nathan was remarkably kind and down-to-earth. The gentle smile Nathan had given Blane when the cuffs went on, far from putting Blane at ease, just made him more afraid that Nathan would discover the secret Blane was hiding. But he took a deep breath, plastered a resigned smile to his face, and told himself to suck it up.
Now the two of them were camped out in a closet, waiting for Amy to find them. Distracted as he was, Blane hadn't taken the time to realize what hiding in a closet would mean. They had just run in and collapsed, spending just enough time to make sure the door was shut and they were partially hidden behind a pile of boxes. But now that the rush of adrenaline had passed, Blane was perfectly aware of every way this could go wrong.
"I'm going to kill her," he muttered under his breath, but his voice carried no heat.
"Kill who?" Nathan asked, amusement lacing his voice.
Blane cursed silently, and his blush deepened. "No one," he mumbled awkwardly. "A friend. It's no big deal." Silence descended upon them, and Blane felt the tension grow. But maybe that was just him; when he risked a quick peek at Nathan, the older boy seemed as calm and collected as ever.
"I heard you played a tournament last weekend?" Blane asked, trying to dispel the elephant in the closet.
"Yeah. I won," Nathan said.
"Well done," Blane said awkwardly, and they fell into silence again.
When the silence was broken next, it wasn't by Nathan or Blane. Instead, it was broken by Blane's cell phone. A muffled ringtone began to emanate from Blane's pocket, causing both boys to jump. Cursing himself for forgetting to turn his phone off, Blance fumbled through his pockets for it. He shielded it against his chest to keep any light from escaping through the crack beneath the door as he turned his phone off.
"Shit, I'm so sorry," Blane whispered, his voice hoarse with fear. He cleared it. "It was Jenna. She was probably trying to find us by calling me." If possible, Blane's blush grew darker. He was just grateful Nathan couldn't see it.
"Happens to everyone," Nathan said reassuringly. "Don't worry. I'm pretty sure you turned it off in time."
"Thanks," Blane whispered, looking anywhere but at the other boy.
That was when he noticed Nathan's palm was pressed to his chest, searing his skin even through his shirt and sweater. He could tell without looking that Nathan was much closer than he had been before. He realized he must have unbalanced Nathan during the mad dash for his phone. Blane froze completely, and the closet became dead silent as Blane simply stared at Nathan's hand.
"If it makes you uncomfortable, I can move it away," Nathan offered quietly.
Blane's head whipped up, bringing his eyes level with Nathan's. "I..." He trailed off, not sure what to say.
After a second, Nathan started to move his hand away. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that," he said, and even though his voice was light and carefree, as if nothing had happened, Blane could hear the sadness that Nathan was trying to hide.
"No!" Blane whispered frantically. "Wait." Using his free had, he pulled Nathan's hand back to his chest and left his hand covering the older boy's enjoying the warmth that heated his palm.
They sat in silence for a minute, before Nathan asked hesitantly, "So you're okay with this? You're not mad or anything, are you?"
Blane let out a short, breathy chuckle. "I'm way more than okay with this," he said. "This...This is perfect." He let his head drop forward until his chin rested on their joined hands.
"You know, I've dreamed about this for ages," Nathan commented casually.
For the second time in as many minutes, Blane froze.
"But I didn't want to make you uncomfortable, you know?" Nathan continued, oblivious to Blane's panic. "I mean, after that one time in middle school, we've rarely crossed paths. We've never even been in the same class again. I honestly would have thought you'd forgotten about me if you didn't always smile at me in the hallways. I don't even have your number. How crazy is that?" Nathan ended with a laugh.
Blane swatted him lightly on the hand he still clutched to his chest. "As if I could ever forget you," he admonished the older boy. He laughed quietly. "I've wanted this since middle school, too, actually. I guess we both need to learn to communicate better." Absently, he began stroking Nathan's hand.
He didn't notice Nathan's free hand until it gently cupped Blane's chin and pushed his head off their cuffed hands. Blane's breath hitched as he noticed the lack of distance between his mouth and Nathan's. With monumental effort, he tore his gaze from Nathan's lips to his eyes, though he could hardly tell whether they were even light or dark, forget the color. Then Nathan's lips pressed to Blane's, and all rational thought left his mind.
As first kisses go, it was hardly the best. The angle was a little weird, and Blane's nose throbbed a little from where he had bumped it against Nathan's cheek as their lips touched. Belatedly, Blane realized that his lips were chapped, and he was pretty sure his breath smelled like pizza. But Nathan didn't seem to care and Blane was grateful for it. They split apart a second later so Blane could catch his breath. He knew his ears and cheeks were burning, while the heat continued to spread down his back and chest.
"Who have you been kissing in your spare time?" Nathan teased him, though a hint of jealousy colored his tone.
"That was my first, actually," Blane retorted a little defensively.
Nathan was silent for a minute. "Fucking hell," he breathed a moment later. "We'll just have to fix that, won't we?" he said. Blane could hear the grin in his voice. They leaned in for another kiss.
Suddenly, they heard voices in the outer room. With a startled gasp, Blane pulled away.
"I'm so sorry," he said immediately. "I'm not ashamed or anything. I just don't want to be found like...this." He gestured vaguely to the closet and the scene around them.
Nathan laughed. "Not a problem. I completely understand," he told Blane. "I suppose we'll just have to continue this later." He took out his phone then and tapped a few buttons. "Now, what's your number?" he asked, just as the door opened and light streamed in upon them.
ns 15.158.61.45da2
