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Carlos Reyes is sitting at a table in the far corner of the private room, tapping his fingers against his nearly empty bottle of beer as he tries to determine when he can leave without seeming rude. He’s already been here for at least an hour, he’s spoken to everyone that he knows, he’s had two drinks; he feels like he’s done everything that a person is supposed to do at their high school reunion.
Most of the class has left the room to head to the bar for more drinks, or to dance along to the live band that’s playing, leaving only a handful of smaller groups in the enclosed space, spread out between the tables. Carlos sees them all laughing loudly or showing each other pictures on their phones as they catch-up with one another. It’s not that he doesn’t want to talk to anyone, it’s just that he had a long shift at work, and he didn’t really have too many friends in high school to reminisce about their days at Austin High. Sure, he was on the football team, but he preferred to spend most of his free periods in the library reading. He’s never really wanted to be the center of attention.
He sighs, glancing off to his right towards the back door that leads to a private patio. He thinks there might be a way to the parking lot through there, which would make it so easy to slip away from everyone undetected. He could go home, put on a pair of comfy sweatpants, and just fall asleep on his couch watching TV. The idea is so enticing that, without really planning to, he finds himself downing the last of his beer before he stands and hurries towards the door.
His stealthy operation comes crashing to a halt when he sees that the patio is not deserted, like he thought. There’s a guy sitting on top of the picnic table a few feet away, his yellow hoodie pulled up over his head as he stares down at the phone in his lap. Carlos hears the door slam behind him as he comes to a stop, the man before him looking up at the sound. His breath catches as his brown eyes lock onto a familiar pair of green ones.
TK Strand looks almost the same as he did at their graduation. His hair is a little shorter, his jawline a little sharper. Raking his eyes up and down his crouched form, Carlos would even go as far as to say that he’s a little bulkier, his lean teenage body having filled out into the lean body of a grown man. That particular observation causes Carlos’s heart to start thumping painfully in his chest as he looks back at TK’s face. The man has not moved an inch.
“Sorry,” Carlos says, his breath stuttering with nerves as he takes in the gorgeous man in front of him. “I didn’t realize anyone was out here.”
“No, it’s cool,” TK says, jumping up from the table and slipping his phone into his front pocket. “I can go back inside, leave you to it.” He gestures towards the door of the bar, a kind smile on his face.
“You don’t have to go anywhere,” Carlos says quickly, holding up his arms to stop him. “I was actually, um, looking for the exit.” He glances around, spotting the gate towards the parking lot. With a nod, he starts to walk towards it.
“You’re leaving already?” TK asks, confusion clear in his voice, and Carlos stops in his tracks to face him again, his eyebrows raised. He thinks he might see a blush rising on the other man’s face, but the patio lighting isn’t bright enough to tell. “I just mean, it looked like you were enjoying yourself in there,” TK continues, avoiding his eyes as he gestures back towards the bar.
Carlos can feel his ears grow warm at the idea that TK may have been watching him earlier. “Well,” he starts to explain, his hand coming up to rub the back of his neck, “I kind of talked to everyone that I know, and I’m not really big on crowds.”
TK huffs out a small laugh, crossing his arms in front of him as he scuffs his feet in the dirt. “Yeah, I remember that about you,” he says quietly.
Carlos freezes, feeling his mouth go dry at TK’s unexpected declaration. He can feel his palms start to sweat, his chest rising as he struggles to take in enough air. He suddenly feels like a teenager again, staring over at the boy that he has a massive crush on, and having no idea what to do about it.
That’s what TK Strand has always been for him: a crush. Since his very first day at Austin High at the start of their senior year, Carlos has always been acutely aware of the other man. They shared some classes together, and though they never sat close, Carlos always liked it best when he sat behind TK; he would spend entire periods staring at the back of his head, noticing how TK could never sit still, some part of his body always on the move. It was an incredibly endearing habit.
He didn’t think TK ever noticed him, not exactly giving him a lot of reason to, but apparently Carlos made more of an impression than he thought, and that knowledge sends a shiver down his spine.
“What about you?” he questions after a brief silence, his voice shaky as he takes a step towards TK. “What are you doing out here all alone?”
TK rolls his head back to look at the sky, letting out a noise of frustration. “I kind of realized once I got here that I don’t really know anyone,” TK says, shrugging his shoulders in an attempt to be nonchalant, but Carlos can see right through it. “Just because I graduated with you all, doesn’t mean I was actually a part of your class. I don’t think anyone really noticed me senior year.”
Carlos takes another step towards him, shaking his head. “That’s not at all true,” he says, his voice rising with emotion. “You were very noticeable, TK.”
TK’s head drops back down to look at him, his mouth open slightly in shock. Carlos stares into his wide green eyes and feels a fire roar to life inside of him. “Really?” TK asks, his tone disbelieving.
Carlos feels a tension in the air, almost like he’s standing on the edge of a tall cliff. He’s been here before with TK, all of these feelings trapped inside of him just wanting to burst out. It terrified him when he was 17, to have so many thoughts inside his head all the time about someone that he was too scared to talk to, but now, his feelings might still be overwhelming, but he feels more stable, more prepared to handle them. So, with a deep breath, he decides to jump.
“Really,” Carlos says, a small smile taking over his face. “You, with your unlimited supply of colorful hoodies and your stress-bitten pencils, and your complete evisceration of Mr. Daniels in third-period health class when you demanded information on non-heteronormative sexual acts,” he continues, TK letting out a snort at the last one. “You were very noticeable, people noticed you.”
TK stands before him, his face frozen in a silent laugh as he takes him in. “You haven’t changed much at all, have you, Carlos Reyes?” he finally says, taking a step forward. Now, they’re closer than they’ve ever been, and Carlos can smell the other man’s cologne. He feels his heart rate spike as a desperate want takes over his body.
“What do you mean?” he asks, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. Until about five minutes ago, he didn’t think TK even knew who he was.
“You’re still just as observant and nice as you were in high school,” TK explains, his lips rising in a slight smirk. “Carlos Reyes, the buff jock who always stopped to help Lucy Powell open her locker when it would get stuck every other day, the guy who carried Simon Morris’s bag to class daily for four weeks when he broke his collarbone, the guy who spent every free period in the library with his nose stuck in a book,” TK continues, his eyes softening with every example. Carlos can feel himself blushing as he listens, not quite believing what he’s hearing. “You were very noticeable too, even when you tried not to be.”
They’re even closer now, barely a foot of space between them. It’s so quiet that Carlos feels like he’s in a vacuum, completely disconnected from time and space, a nervous energy coursing through him. “I always wanted you to notice me,” he admits softly, his eyes falling to the ground between them as his face heats up, embarrassed by the secret.
He sees TK reach out for him, taking his left hand as he intertwines their fingers. It’s the first time they’ve ever touched each other, and Carlos feels a bolt of electricity run through his entire body, a shocked sound falling from his lips at the unexpected sensation. He looks up when he hears TK make an identical sound, his green eyes dancing with a wild, forceful energy.
“I noticed so much about you, Carlos,” he breathes out, tightening his grip on Carlos's hand. “I used to go to the library just to be near you,” he reveals, his eyes rising to Carlos’s forehead. “I’d spend an entire period staring at this crease between your eyes, watching it disappear whenever you were shocked, and then reappear when you were focused or confused. It was so adorable,” he says, Carlos holding his breath as TK reaches up to run the tip of his finger along the indentation before moving his hand to cup his cheek.
“This feels like a dream,” Carlos says when he can finally speak, his mind spinning as he struggles to make sense of what’s happening. He never, in a million years, expected to see TK again, let alone talk to him. Now that they’re here, saying the things they’re saying, holding hands, closer than ever before, Carlos knows that there’s no going back.
TK must feel the same way, because he shifts his hold to the back of Carlos’s head, pulling him closer until they are only a breath apart. Carlos can feel the heat of his exhale on his lips, and with a hungry moan, he pushes forward to finally claim the lips he’s wanted to taste for years.
Kissing TK is like entering another universe, one that’s hyper-focused and bursting with color. Carlos pulls the man into his chest, his arms coming around to grip tightly to the back of his hoodie. He feels TK’s arms come up to wrap around his neck, pulling him down into him, closing any remaining space between their bodies. Carlos feels the earth shift, and he thinks they’re falling, but that’s not it. No, instead they’re just re-calibrating their gravitational pull towards one another, and Carlos knows that he won’t ever be able to escape this man, not without falling off the face of the earth.
TK slides his mouth away after what feels like decades, inhaling deep breaths as his nose stays pressed to Carlos’s cheek. “Holy fuck,” TK gasps, his voice thin. “Holy fuck.”
Carlos nods, also taking in great gulps of air. “Yeah,” he agrees, unable to say much more.
“How the fuck did it take us five years to do that?” TK whines, his fingers gripping tighter to Carlos’s neck as if he’s afraid he might pull away from their embrace, even though that’s the last thing he wants to do.
“I don’t know, but let’s never wait that long again,” Carlos says, pressing a short kiss to the corner of TK’s mouth.
TK nods fiercely, turning back to meet Carlos’s lips again in a hard kiss. “I don’t think I could wait, even if I wanted to.”
“You want to get out of here?” Carlos asks suddenly, the idea forming from out of nowhere. “We could get something to eat, or—”
“Or!” TK interrupts, pressing back in for another kiss before pulling back and taking Carlos’s hand. “Definitely or. We can eat between rounds.”
Carlo’s eyebrows rise as TK starts to pull him towards the gate that leads to the parking lot. “Rounds?” he questions, his heart nearly bursting from his chest.
“Oh yeah,” TK says, pushing open the gate as he smirks back at Carlos. “I’ve been holding back a lot of thoughts for five years, Reyes.”
Carlos lets out a desperate groan, his mind flashing back to all of his own teenage fantasies about TK. “Oh god, we’ve gotta go. Now,” he says, speeding up to pull TK towards his blue Camaro.
After all, they’ve got to make up for a lot of wasted time.