"Yea, right!" Austin scoffed.
"That sounds made up!" Noah agreed.
"You wanna see pictures?" Nicky asked.
"There's pictures?" Color was draining out of Austin's face fast.
"Yea but I don't have them. That kid who was clinging to you does though." she said to Noah.,
"What kid?"
"Oh boy, you really don't remember a thing, do you?"
"I don't , but I'm starting to understand the meaning of the phrase 'ignorance is bliss' ." Austin said.
"It wasn't all that bad!" Nicky tried to reassure him.
"Yea, well, you're not really painting a colorful picture!" Austin retorted.
"That kid must have slipped some messed up stuff in your drinks!"
"Wait, you mean we were drugged!?" Noah asked, raising his eyebrows.
"Yea, that's why Austin came to your place last night." Nicky explained, "If he had gone home in the state he was, I'm sure mom would have tracked that kid down and killed him."
"Who is this kid you keep talking about!" Austin asked.
"Don't remember his name. I don't think I actually even asked him. It's not a complicated one though. I think it was -"
"Do you at least have an idea how I know him?" Noah asked impatiently.
"How would I know!" She asked, as if that should have been obvious.
"Why didn't you stay at Michael's house too?" Austin asked. "Instead of leaving me with...him." He said the last word with a hint of disgust mixed with disapproval.
"I didn't really feel like committing murder last night."
"Murder?" Noah asked, having no idea what Nicky was referring to.
"Let's just stay, I don't make it a point of crashing in the same house where disrespectful, simpleminded cheaters live!" She said calmly but a storm was brewing beneath those words.
"Oh, and I do?"Austin asked and Noah snapped his head towards him, knowing very well that Austin was referring to him.
"Hey, what did I do?" Noah asked Nicky.
"I was not talking about you."
"Did Michael do something?" Austin asked his sister, his protective older brother instinct starting to bubble to the surface. "Do I need to break open my special assortment of knives and gut someone like a fish?"
"Can we please not talk about it anymore ?" She pleaded, blinking repeatedly to keep the tears at bay.
Noah had a clue of what was going on between Nicky and Michael, but he did not want to make things worse by letting the fact that he knew slip. There was a high chance Nicky would hate him for it and he dreaded that. She was too good a friend to lose.
Mrs. McNamara came in just then. "Hey kids!" She said as she came in. "Could you excuse us for a bit please, Noah?"
"Of course, I'll be outside." Noah said, offering her a small smile before heading out.
"Hey baby, how are you feeling ?" She asked as she went and sat where Noah had been.
"Like I wasn't hit by a truck carrying rocks!"Austin deadpanned.
"Translation: he is a big boy now and should go nurse his nasty boo boo somewhere else, he doesn't need to be here." Nicky said.
"Big boy my big toe!" Allison answered back.
"Hey...Am so!" Austin complained.
"Are not!" His mother mocked.
"No one cares!" Nicky cut them off.
"Oh, I actually came here to tell you kids something." Allison told her kids.
"Is it that you're finally getting me a car ?" Nicky cut in excitedly. "Oh, good. I totally thought it would be a really long process trying to convince you!"
"It still is." Her mother replied dryly.
"What's up mom!" Austin asked, afraid that if he let the exchange between the two go on, they would be here forever...most likely.
"Oh, I spoke to Mrs. Dawson and she said it was ok if you guys stayed over at her house tonight."
"But she's not even home." Austin stated.
"Why!" There was a lot of venom in the way Nicky asked.
"Well, your father is coming home tonight and I need some time alone with him." She said carefully.
"Then get a hotel room!" Nicky said.
"It's not because of ...that. " their mother defended herself, blushing a little. "And why are you being like this? You always love going to Michael's !"
"And I always love eating ice cream five times a day, most of the time, but it always ends up making me sick!" She gave a comeback.
"Anyway, as I was saying, you're both spending tonight at the Dawsons' while I deal with something. Nicole, please take care of your brother, I expect him to be alive the next time I see him, got it?" Mrs. McNamara asked sternly.
"If I don't need to fashion a warm coat out of his skin to get me through the harsh winter , sure." Nicky responded with an obnoxious smile.
"And you," their mother pointed towards Austin. "If you don't start looking where you're going, I will make sure you regret it!"
"Roger that!" Austin replied with a mock salute.
"Don't forget to eat, and take all your meds and get plenty of rest. Please don't stress yourself and -"
"Mom!" Nicky cut in. "We're in a hospital which means there's plenty of annoying doctors around...we don't need more!"
"Fine!" Her mother responded , slightly annoyed.
"I will, mom."Austin said.
"I know you will sweetie!" She said in an overly motherly voice. "I'll see you tomorrow, ok? I love you." she kissed his forehead then stroked his hair.
"Love you too!" Austin said.
"You!" She said to Nicky, "Stay out of trouble!" Then kissed her daughter on the cheek too before waving them both goodbye.
"Why were you being so weird about going to Michael's?" Austin asked his sister after their mother left.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Nicky said feigning obliviousness as she turned her head away from him.
"So, I hear you guys are coming home with me!" Noah said while coming back into the room.
"Yea...about that." Nicky said hesitantly, "I'm gonna need you to look after Austin tonight!"
"What?" Noah asked.
"What are you talking about..where are you going?" Austin asked confusedly.
"Me and the girls are having a sleepover tonight and I'd honestly rather be there."
"Take me with you!"Austin begged.
"To Kelly's house?" Nicky asked, as if he was crazy .
"Oh... "Austin exclaimed in understanding.
"You got that right!"
"She should really get over it!"Austin complained.
"She should...but she won't." She responded, "But if you don't wanna stay with Noah, why don't you call Sam. And how come he hasn't come to see you in the hospital? Usually, he would be practically bolted to the bed!"
"His father suddenly decided to spend quality time together and now they're having a weekend fishing trip at a cabin somewhere with no reception."
"You'll be fine at my place." Noah tried to assure him, " I swear, I won't bother you. I'll just make sure you're fine and when you don't need me, I'll stay out of your hair." In all honesty, he did not like the mention of Sam out of jealousy. He wished he could be that close to Austin...that Austin would accept him without being angered by every little thing Noah did.
"Why do I get the feeling this is gonna backfire? Oh, wait....because it is!"Austin retorted . "It always does!"
"It's actually my fault that you're in here," Noah said regretfully, "Please let me try to make it up to you...Please, Austin." Damn it! That sounded really sincere! Austin thought.
"Fine..but we need to stop by a store and pick up pepper spray," Austin said. "You know.. In case you decide to sleepwalk into my room in the middle of the night."
"Don't mind him Noah, he's just being an asshole." Nicky justified.
"Hey, Nicky, you can come with us to the house for a while.. Michael and What's-her-face left to go shopping or something. They won't be back for a while."
"Seriously!" She screamed angrily.
"Ummm..yea." Noah answered, "so, coming?"
"Yea, of course...sure!" She said, clearly seething with anger. But neither of the boys could get themselves to ask what was going on.
******
Austin had been released and the three of them were walking out of the hospital, making their way to the parking lot where a cab was waiting.
Noah was first, leading the way when he collided with someone. The guy was huge, heavily built and looked like one of those street biker gangs. He did not seem pleased being collided upon.
"Watch where you're going dumbass!" He bellowed.
"Calm down dude," Noah said. "It was an accident."
"Hey, I know you!" The guy continued,looking angrier.
"Of course you do! I'm the last face you're gonna see before you wake up ,deflated, if you don't shut up and go your own way!" Noah threatened cockily.
"You're the bastards who tried to get with my boyfriend last night!" Big guy said in realization, referring to both Austin and Noah, as he pushed Noah back with both hands, sending Noah almost off balance.
"What the hell!" Noah pushed back, but his frame was relatively smaller to actually make any major impact. "If you're here to get a refill for your crazy pills, you better hurry because you're starting to get disoriented if you think we've met before. Hate to break it to you but I make it a point to stay away from pig sties !" He was trying to take all the heat so as to protect Austin from whatever this dude was rumbling on about.
"You're the ding-dong who tried to hurt my brother last night!"?" Nicky spoke out and Noah looked towards her as she seethed with anger at the guy, but stayed a few steps away to avoid being turned into a punching bag.
"Get away from here fucker ..or I will fashion you into a very disgusting pancake!" Noah threatened.
"You've got a mouth on you kid, don't you?" The man said intimidatingly.
"Hey, you look oddly familiar!" Austin said, partly because he did look familiar and partly to distract him before he decided to punch Noah into the wall.
A couple of security guards were starting to close in on the scene. "If I see you anywhere near my man, you're both dead and don't think your smart mouth will save you!" The man threatened while whispering into Austin's ear and then he disappeared before the guards could arrive.
"What's going on here?" One of the security guards asked.
"Nothing," Noah said quickly. "Just a little misunderstanding, that's all."
They obviously did not buy that lame excuse, but didn't seem too interested in pursuing the issue any further, so they walked away.
"What do you mean we know the Incredible Hulk ?"Noah asked Nicole as they continued towards the cab.
"Long story, I'll tell you everything later."
"Ok." He agreed, "I just hope it's not what I'm thinking...after you." He motioned like a gentleman, opening the car door for the two siblings.
"Gentleman..that's nice." Nicky noted as she entered, "My brother needs to learn a thing or two from you."
"What do you mean by that!" Austin asked defensively.
"When have you ever opened the door for me!" Nicky asked him.
"Why would I!"Austin backtalked as he followed her in, "You seem capable enough." Noah closed the door, going to the front door. Nicky just rolled her eyes at Austin.
"So , you ended up in the hospital I see." The cab driver said, looking at Austin through the rear view mirror.
"Sorry?" Austin questioned , not sure whether he had heard the man correctly.
"You don't remember me, huh?" The cabby asked again at which Austin aggressively shook his head. "I saved your ass yesterday when that guy almost killed you."
"OK,WILL SOMEONE TELL ME EXACTLY WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED LAST NIGHT!!!" Austin shouted in frustration,having had enough of people referencing to it and having no idea what they were talking about.
"Ok..ok! "Nicky said. "I'll tell you then!"
"Finally!" Noah said in relief, "I really need to know too."
"So,"Nicky started. "Yesterday you came home at around nine p.m. Mom and I had been trying to reach you and you weren't picking up. You were kinda depressed and -"
"I thought you were supposed to go out last night?" Austin quizzed.
"Well,yea. But I had to stay home to see if you were ok first,duuuuh!"
"Continue..."Austin urged bashfully.
And as Nicky started explaining in as much detail as she could...everything started to fit in like pieces of a puzzle...
++++++++++++++++
Austin had been in the park, trying to get over the shock he had just experienced, hoping the soft breeze from the swaying trees and the fresh evening air could help quicken the process as he strolled without an actual destination -well, maybe not a physical one.
He also felt really awful about the way he had treated Noah, but under the same breath, puzzled by what Noah had said. He was not sure whether it had been a slip of the tongue or if Noah had really meant to say it. And was any of it true? ...And if so, to what extent was it true?
A few hours later, he realized he was just getting colder and definitely not any closer to a solution than he had been earlier.
He drove himself home, all the while his mind wandering towards Noah and the dead guy in the hospital.
That had been his first experience with death,and although he didn't really know the guy -or even like him at all, it still packed quite a punch. He still felt like throwing up whenever he thought about it.
He got home a few minutes later and as soon as his sister heard the roaring of the car engine, the lights in the living room window came on and she was at the window immediately, waiting for him.
He parked in the garage and went in through the door that led to the basement, then through the kitchen.
"Where the hell have you been!" She asked with worry and some level of anger as she ran into his arms for a tight hug, "we were so worried about you!"
"I just needed some time."Austin responded.
"You do know the purpose of a phone, right?" Their mother -whom he had not noticed was also in the room, asked.
"I'm sorry guys." He apologized as he hugged her too.
"What's wrong?" Mrs. McNamara asked, even though she more than a rough idea what was bothering him.
"Well, I would love to say that it has been a rough evening," Austin answered. "But I think we can all agree that my life is all kinds of wrong lately."
"It's just a few useless things!" Nicky said in a brush-it-off kind of way, "Stop acting like Hitler's been riding your ass!" He knew she was just trying to make him feel better ......in a very bad way.
"Nicole," Allison called. "Weren't you supposed to go out?"
"Well, yes -"
"You should be out the door then."
"Are you just trying to kick me out?" Nicky asked.
"Yes!"
"Ok." Nicky gave in. "I was just here to make sure doofus here was still alive. Now that the prodigal son is back, my pleasure !" She said as she kissed her brother on the cheek and rushed up the stairs, probably to get ready. Austin did not get it because she looked ready enough to him.
"Can I talk to you for a bit?" Allison said to Austin.
"Umnn..ok." Austin said as he went to the nearest seat and sat, his mother coming to sit next to him.
"What's going on?" She asked with concern and worry.
"Nothing,mom. Just had a long day."
"Sweetie, you know these things happen, right?"
"What, long days?" He asked, trying to evade talking about the real reason. "Of course I do."
"Don't play coy with me ." She said, "Stop beating yourself up over it. It wasn't your fault that this happened. Why do you believe that anyway?"
"Oh, I didn't say it was my fault." Austin responded, "I blame Noah!"
"Stop it, ok? It's not fair to you or to Noah that you think about it too much. I know my son, and he happens to be the sweetest boy in the whole world!" She said with a smile while pinching his cheek.
"I think that's laying it on a little too thick!"
"Fine. But please, don't think about it too much. If you keep doing it, it will eat at you for a very long time and you'll always blame yourself for something that was beyond your control, which will lead to self resentment and a very unhappy life. Do you want that?"
"N-no...at least I don't think so."Austin answered.
"I have an idea," she suddenly said with excitement. "Nicky, come down here!" She called out.
"What are you thinking ?"Austin asked,narrowing his eyes at his mother suspiciously.
"It's nothing bad...it's gonna help you get over this."
"What now!" Nicky asked from the top of the stairs.
"Honey, you're taking your brother out with you!"
"I'm not in the mood, mom!" Austin said, "And also, I don't need her help to go out."
"Now you're kicking the both of us out?" Nicky asked with fake shock .
"Go get ready, Austin! You need to have fun and try to forget everything for a while!" She reached for her purse and pulled out a few twenty-dollar bills and handed them to him. "No drinking! Well..beer only...And don't overdo it...Have fun !"
"Most moms would get you ice cream with extra sprinkles and try to hug you to sleep." Nicky noted.
"Would you like me to do that, Austin?"
"Beer it is!" Austin said as he kissed his mother's forehead and ran towards the stairs.
"I know, I'm the best mom ever." Allison said while smirking at her daughter.
Austin was ready in fifteen, but Nicky took an extra thirty. Girls!
"So, the cab will be here any minute, let's go!"Austin told his sister as she finally came out of her room.
"Why are we taking a cab...what happened to your car?"
"Oh, nothing. I'm just sure I'm gonna be too wasted tonight to see straight."Austin said casually.
"That's the spirit!" Nicky encouraged her brother.
The cab drive was a little long, but Nicky had told him that there was a new chic club almost outside of town and that it was totally worth it.
The driver stopped outside a large building that was in a very flashy neighborhood that looked like those that are especially busy in the night. Being a Friday night, there were people everywhere and most of them looked drunk or high...or any other state that spelled "Not Sober".
Austin paid the cab driver and got out with his sister.
"Voilà !"she said, as she motioned to a a building written in large red letters that said 'EL CIELO ROJO' .
"El ....Cielo Rojo ?"Austin asked her, cocking an eyebrow at the name of the club.
"Come on, Michael and Lira are already inside."
"What are they doing here?!"
"I was going out with Michael tonight, remember?"
"So..why is the other girl here?"
"She doesn't have any friends yet and she's adorable. I couldn't let her stay home alone..besides, you were coming along so I thought, if it was gonna be a crowd, we better make it a real crowd!"
"Whatever, all this talking is taking too long. I wanna get wasted." Austin said as he led the way to the line outside the club.
It wasn't long before they were let in, which was weirdly easy because they were both minors. All it took was fifty bucks and the muscular guy by the red rope turned the other way.
Lira was seated at a booth all by herself, dressed in the tiniest dress Austin had ever seen. It was so short, she kept tagging on it even while she was seated.
"Love the dress!" Nicky complimented as she went over and gave her a hug.
"Thank you! You look really nice too." Lira said.
"Where is Michael?" Nicky asked her.
"He went to grab us some drinks." She answered, "Austin, will you go see what is taking him so long?"
"Sure, no trouble...I actually came here for the bar!" He said while turning around to leave.
To get to the bar, he had to pass through the dance floor which was packed to the point that he had to squeeze through. Every step he took, he ran into a guy. Some of them were shirtless and kept glancing at him, others trying to grab him and pull him in for a dance.
Funny thing, the only females he had seen in here since he came in were his sister and Lira. He had not yet seen any waitresses and now, looking more keenly, he noticed that the dance floor was filled with men dancing with men.
To make matters more weird, the dancing was definitely not G-rated.
There were men grinding against each other on the floor, some were passionately kissing and the far more disturbing ones were busy fondling each other almost to the point of having coitus right there.
"Fuck!" Austin said with realization as he finally reached the bar, trying to get away from the madness on the dance floor. He wanted to go back and strangle his sister for this -he knew very well that it was a setup but somehow passing through seemed worse than the pleasant idea of chewing her out.
Michael was at the bar, two drinks seating in front of him on the counter while he chatted away with some guy.
"You guys set me up!" Austin shouted loudly over the booming music next to Michael's ear.
"Whoa!" Michael said, startled while clutching onto his ear.
"Why did you set me up dude?" The only way to hear each other was by shouting.
"It was your sister's idea man...she changed our plans last minute and told us to meet here!"
"Why?"
"Can't tell you, ask her!"
"Damn it!" He was about to make up his mind and squeeze through the hordes of people but thought otherwise, so he settled for a drink. Maybe that would help pass the time while plotting the perfect way in his head to end his sister for bringing her to a freaking gay club.
As he sat there, taking his third shot of vodka, neat, someone came and sat on the stool right next to him. The guy stumbled a little and almost fell, but held onto Austin tightly to stay steady.
"Watch it!"Austin shouted aggressively at him.
"Sorry man, had a few too many I guess." That voice sounded familiar, and when Austin looked up, he found out why...And then he froze.
He did not know how long he looked into those Noah's eyes, or how long they looked back into his own, but he couldn't look away. Finding himself in a gay club is one thing...finding himself in a gay club where Noah coincidentally was in, well, that was equal parts awkward and extremely shocking.
But no matter what, it did not match what Noah was feeling. He even almost forgot how to breathe. He had sworn to stay away from Austin just a few hours ago and had now come stumbling onto him. The shock and surprise had helped sober him up almost immediately. He started to brace himself for the insults he knew were coming -and most probably deserved.
He wasn't ready when instead Austin said, "I'm sorry."
Well, he was going to assume he hadn't heard that, in case he was hallucinating. He instead opted to shut up and continue staring creepily.
"Forgive me. I didn't really mean what I said earlier. I was just upset and you happened to be an easy target. I'm sorry." Even Austin himself didn't know why he was apologizing.
"It's ok, I get it." Noah said, " I'm sorry too."
"Say, why are you here?" Austin asked in a somewhat lighter tone.
"I think it's kind of obvious." Noah answered with a light chuckle as he motioned for the barkeep to fill him up.
"Ok, how are you here?"Austin corrected.
"My cousin offered to bring me here to cheer me up."
"I think they set us up to come here."
"Why would you say that?" Noah asked curiously.
"Michael might have let it slip."
"Why would they do that?!"
"Trying to get back there to ask, but I don't wanna risk being devoured by all the testosterone there. It's a safer bet to stay right here!"
"You can hang with me." Noah suggested and Austin turned to look at him. "I mean, if you don't mind..totally understand if you do." He was being careful.
"Ummmmm, Noah?"Austin beckoned.
"Yea?" He was waiting for him to tell him to fark off.
"Why is that guy in the banana hammock eye humping me?" Austin's eyes were fixated somewhere behind Noah.
There was a tall, perfectly built guy standing there, looking suggestively towards Austin. He was relatively handsome, and his skin looked so soft and smooth under the flashing red lights with all the body oil he had on.
"Pretty sure that's a dancer," Noah answered. "And he's about to come over and give you a lap dance."
"No way, that's not happening," Austin started panicking. "What do I do?"
"Pretend you're with me."
"What?" Austin enquired incredulously.
"Do you want a lap dance or not?"
"Obviously not!" Austin said sharply.
"Ok." Noah said as he swung his arm around Austin's waist, pulling him closer. This was not a position Austin was comfortable with, but it was better than having handsome naked guy all up in his lap.
As Noah held Austin possessively, he sent the guy an evil smirk, warning him to stay off his 'property'. The man got the message, and walked away after sending him a wink.
"Alright, he's gone. Get off me."Austin said.
"Awww, I was just starting to enjoy that." Noah said jokingly but in actuality, he did love it.
"Too bad." Austin would never admit it but he had felt something too. "Let's get wasted!"
Noah should not have been drinking. but any opportunity to spend time with Austin could not be wasted. He knew he would regret it later -he was starting to considering he had been drinking ever since he got to the club .
"Oh my god, what a coincidence!" A sharp voice came suddenly from behind them. "Noah? Is that really you."
"What are y -"
"I've missed you so much!" He jumped into Noah's arms and almost tackled him to the floor.
"Get off me!"
"OMG Noah, this is so like destiny! I am so happy to see you again, how long has it been!"
"Hey, you're that guy from yesterday in the coffee shop bathrooms, you were with that...never mind....Nice clothes!" Austin shut himself up after realizing it was none of his business.
"Jesse, it was you being pounded in the toilets yesterday!"Noah asked.
"Jesse?" Austin asked Noah, "Wait, you know him?!"
"Know him?" Jesse spoke, "He is my beast." He licked his lower lip while running his hands up and down Noah's arms.
"Beast?!" Austin raised his eyebrows in question.
"Jesse!" Noah screamed impatiently, "How the fuck are you here!"
"Well, you ran away from me babe," Jesse opted while batting his lashes innocently, "I had to come find you because I missed you."
"So, when you called me yesterday, you were already here?!"
"Of course tiger, you know how much I love you...I literally moved states to be near you. And look, your scars are healing nicely. Too bad, they were the sexiest thing about you. I forgive you though."
"If you're so in love with him,who was that guy you were with ?"Austin asked, feeling absolutely irritated by this boy. He was dressed in dark yellow skinny jeans with a pink tailored button up shirt, and he had bracelets on both his wrists of every color.Who the hell dresses up like that! Austin thought. He looked like he was on his way to an eighties neon disco show. But it was so much better than no clothes, pinned against a bathroom stall.
His hair was the same curly mess, only this time it looked obnoxiously over gelled. The way he talked made him sound like a girl, only it was slightly deeper and scratchier. He also giggled like one.
"My other beast," Jesse responded, and Austin gave him a look that told him that he was making absolutely no sense, "What, I have enough love to give. They're both just so amazing in the sack, I can't say no. You could be too , you're so hot! But you can't do that thing Noah used to do to me."
"What did I tell you the last time we talked?" Noah was hyperventilating and seething from anger. He couldn't believe Jesse was actually here. It was not even remotely a good thing.
He didn't want Jesse moving in on his turf. He was not ready to see what he would do if he got onto Austin, and given Jesse's extremely capricious character, he had no way of knowing what he would play at.
"That you stopped drinking babe. Thank god you didn't -means I got my work cut out for me!" He was overly cheery.
"Work?!"
"Of course, silly!" Jesse said, still holding onto Noah's arm, "To win you back, unless you have forgiven me already, then we can go make up somewhere."
"What is wrong with you!" Noah asked, and he looked like he was about to burst a vein from how hard he was straining his face.
"What do you mean, baby?"
"You're here to win me back, and at the same time whoring around. How long have you even been here!"
"I was lonely!" He was put into on a forlorn look to get Noah to feel sorry for him, but Noah knew better, "What was I supposed to do? You know I can't be celibate, you made me this way, that's why I love you!"
"Stop being so over dramatic! And I'm about to punch you if you don't leave...now!"
"There..that's it. That's the Noah I know!" Jesse changed his tone sporadically -just the way he always did when talking with anyone. It was like he had some kind of bipolar syndrome, "To be honest, I was really starting to get tired of this boring person you're pretending to be. "
When Austin first "met" Jesse, he had just seemed like an adorable, sweet kid with a questionable taste in men . But now, he seemed downright nuts.. And his obsession with Noah was really weird -not to mention the way he was describing Noah made very little sense.
"I need to get back to my date, and I know you're here with some sad loser you tricked for the evening. Go back to him before I go back to my original idea of turning you into a pretzel!"
"Say, what now!?!"Austin asked after thinking back to Noah saying the word 'date' .
"I'm sorry...date?" Jesse asked.
"Oh, I forgot to introduce you," Noah was now using the fake, polite voice -he knew getting angrier at Jesse somehow excited the little guy, so, the overly happy to the point of annoyance, wide toothed smile façade would have to do. "Austin, meet Jesse...Jesse, this is my boyfriend, Austin. We're in love." That last part did not look like Noah was joking. He was looking deep into Austin's eyes, with an arm over Austin's shoulder -which brought their faces dangerously close, as he emphasized the word 'love' softly.
Austin had seen the level of agitation Noah got from a single word that came from Jesse . Question was, was he really willing to play along with this charade or would he leave Noah crushing and burning?
"Oh, please. Noah Byrne does not do love!" Jesse brushed him off, "You're just messing with me."
"Oh really?" Austin asked, "I didn't get that memo babe." He said in a flirty way which got Noah extremely confused. Austin was freaking out on the inside but still insisted on having Noah's back.
He figured he owed the guy for accusing him of murder earlier and so, before he knew what was happening in time to stop it, he leaned in closer and smashed his lips against Noah's.
Noah should have been shocked and probably stayed still, but his state of inebriation had other ideas for him and soon they were both eating each other's faces off. Noah slid his hands into Austin's hair and tangled his fingers in it, loving the feel of the amazingly soft locks.
Of all the strange happenings in Austin's life this past few days, this had been by far the strangest -add on the fact that he was the one who had started it this time.
As Noah nibbled on his lower lip, each bite sent electric shivers through Austin's body down to his toes. That was the best feeling he had ever experienced. The skilled way in which Noah asked for entrance using his tongue and teeth made kissing with Lucy seem like amateur hour.
He was not ready to pull away from the kiss so instead, he let Noah in. It was not what he had expected having another guy's tongue against his would feel like. The silky softness alone made him see fireworks. He grabbed the front of Noah's shirt and pulled him closer, while Noah slid his free hand and wrapped it around Austin's waist.
The two boys were clearly not thinking, having tossed any sense of consequence aside and the world around seemed to fade. Even the deafening music now sounded like a distant noise.
"Oh . My . God! Finally...yes!!" The sound of Nicky cheering brought both boys back from cloud nine, with reality suddenly smacking them both in the face.
She didn't give them time to come into terms with what had just happened and pulled them both into a big hug, "I'm a genius!" She said while jumping up and down, making the hug uncomfortable.
*****************************