| Chapter 2 |
| After a few minutes of what Justin considered an uncomfortable silence � at least for him � he finally thought of something to say. �So Brandi mentioned a camp in Indiana, and she invited me and Josh and some of our other friends to come,� he told Lance. �Cool,� Lance replied, smiling. �Will you be there?� Justin asked, trying not to sound to hopeful. �I wasn�t going to before, but now that you�re going, I think I will,� Lance said softly. Justin�s heart swelled. It hadn�t even been a full day of summer vacation yet and he�d already fallen head-over-heels in love. His eyes widened at that thought, but he knew it was true. He scolded himself for falling so easily. He�d known this guy for only a few minutes, he didn�t even know if he was gay, and he was already in love? Justin sighed. �What�s wrong?� Lance asked, concerned that his comment had freaked Justin out. �Oh, it�s nothing,� Justin tried to assure him, but he didn�t sound too convincing. �Hey, come on, you can tell me. I mean, I know we haven�t known each other very long, but I feel like we have some sort of connection or something, ya know?� Lance asked. Justin�s eyes widened again. �Really?� �Yeah,� Lance said cautiously, not sure if that�s the answer Justin wanted. �You feel it too?� Justin questioned, and Lance�s heart stopped beating so nervously. �Yes. I guess that means you know what I�m talking about?� Lance asked with a smile. �Yeah. I just � I don�t know if I should tell you. I don�t want to scare you away,� Justin told Lance. �It would take a lot to scare me away, Justin,� Lance said honestly. �You really don�t have to worry.� Justin sighed, unsure of what to do. Just then, Josh came over, sitting on his other side. �Hey Justin.� �Hey. Josh, this is Lance. Lance, meet Josh, my best friend,� Justin said, introducing them. �Hi Lance,� Josh said politely, shooting a glance at Justin. Justin smiled at him. �Hi Josh, nice to meet you,� Lance replied. �Lance is Brandi�s brother,� Justin felt he had to explain. �Oh, cool. You don�t really look alike,� Josh said, looking Lance over. Lance blushed. �Well, that�s because she�s my step-sister,� he explained. �Ahhhh, ok. So were you two just thrown together?� Josh asked. Justin blushed and glared at Josh. He could be so nosey sometimes. But Lance didn�t seem to mind. �Yeah, and at first we hated each other. But then we got used to the idea, and she�s one of my best friends now. My only friend here.� �Hey, what am I?� Justin asked, pretending to be hurt. �The only friend I�ve known longer then ten minutes,� Lance clarified with a smile. �That�s better,� Justin replied. Josh just looked on, wondering how long it was going to take Justin to ask Lance out. When the conversation paused again, Josh excused himself, whispering in Justin�s ear, �go for it.� Justin glared at him, but he smiled back sweetly. Justin rolled his eyes, turning back to Lance. �So�� he started. �Yeah. Josh is nice,� Lance said. �Sometimes,� Justin responded with a laugh. �He�s a good guy, but he�s nosey.� �That�s ok. How else are you going to learn?� Lance asked, smiling again. �God his smile is beautiful,� Justin thought, falling in love all over again. �I guess you�re right,� he said. �I *know* I�m right,� Lance replied, grinning. Justin laughed, rolling his eyes. �So what was it that you didn�t want to tell me before?� Lance questioned. �I was hoping you�d forget,� Justin admitted. �Well, if you really don�t want to tell me-� Lance started. �No, I�ll tell you,� Justin said, interrupting him. �Ok.� �Well, I guess I should just tell you then. I�m gay,� Justin admitted, praying that Lance wouldn�t hate him or be disgusted. �That�s all?� Lance asked. �You don�t care?� Justin questioned. �No. I�m bi, so I can kind of relate,� Lance confessed. Justin couldn�t believe it. Lance was bi. That meant he had a chance. �Really?� he squeaked. He blushed as his voice broke, but Lance smiled. �Yeah. Is Josh your, you know, boyfriend?� Lance asked Justin cautiously. �Josh? Oh no, I couldn�t date him, he�s just my best friend,� Justin assured him. �Oh, ok.� �Do we act like it?� �Kinda.� Justin laughed. �We�re not. Trust me.� �All right.� �So do you have a boyfriend or girlfriend?� Justin questioned. �I had a boyfriend in Indiana, but we broke up before I moved here. So no,� Lance explained with a smile. �Do you miss him?� Justin asked. �Not really. We weren�t that good together. I�ve accepted that he wasn�t the one for me. You know what I mean?� Lance replied. �Well, I�ve never really had a boyfriend. I had a girlfriend a few years back, but that ended when I realized I was gay. And since then, I�ve been single,� Justin explained. �Do you like being single?� Lance questioned. �Yes and no. Depends on how you look at it. You know what I mean?� �Absolutely. Being single is fine, but I wouldn�t mind being in a relationship,� Lance said. �Same here.� Lance looked at his watch then and frowned. �Shit, I gotta go, I�m going to be late,� he said. �Do you need a ride?� Justin asked. �That would be great. I walked here, but if I walk home I�ll be late and my mom will be pissed,� Lance told him. �Ok, let me just find Josh and let him know we�re leaving,� Justin said, standing up and leading Lance into the other room. �Hey Josh!� Justin yelled, making his way across the dance floor to see Josh dancing with Brandi. �Hey, what�s up?� Josh asked. �I�m going to take Lance home. He walked here, but he�ll be late if he walks home,� Lance explained. �Oh shit,� Brandi spoke up. �Can I have a ride too? I didn�t realize it was that late.� �Sure,� Justin responded. �Let�s go.� Josh smiled at him, his eyes flickering over to Lance and back. Justin just stuck out his tongue before turning and leading Lance and Brandi to his car. �So did you have a good time at the party?� Justin asked them both once they were seated in his car. Lance was in the passenger seat, and Brandi sat in the back. �Yeah,� Lance replied, smiling while looking directly at Justin. �Me too,� Brandi said, smiling. �Josh is really nice.� �Yeah, he�s cool,� Justin agreed. �You interested in him?� he asked, looking in the rear-view mirror at Brandi. �Maybe,� Brandi replied, smiling. �That�s cool.� Lance directed Justin where to turn, and then turned back to face Brandi, whispering something in her ear. She nodded, grinning. Justin was confused, but he decided not to ask what they were talking about. When they arrived at Lance and Brandi�s house, Brandi got out of the car, thanking Justin, but Lance stayed behind. �Thanks for talking to me tonight. I would�ve been bored if it hadn�t been for you,� he said softly. �Hey, same here,� Justin replied with a smile. �Can I � could I get your number?� Lance asked shyly. Justin was surprised. �Oh, yeah, sure. Here,� he said, grabbing a pen from in-between the seats. He took Lance�s hand and carefully wrote his number on it, smiling when he was done. �Call me.� �I will. Thanks for the ride.� �You�re welcome.� And when Lance leaned in and placed a kiss on Justin�s cheek, Justin knew he wouldn�t be able to sleep that night. |