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Luke ran in the rain, his clothes drenched. Each step drowned out the sobs of his mother. He didn’t know where he was going, so he let his feet guide him. He held his guitar in his hands, it bouncing up and down as it also got soaked in raindrops. He turned the corner, now running down the side of the road. If it hadn’t been raining, it would’ve been completely quiet. He ran down a street a couple down from his, now knowing where he was going. His only source of light was the full moon shining and the dim streetlights, but he knew exactly which house to go to.
He stealthily climbed the rose trellis leading up to Reggie’s window. Luke knew that he always kept it unlocked just in case he needed to escape if the fighting got too bad. There was a faint light coming from his room. Luke climbed in and quickly shut the window so no more rain could come in. Reggie was at his desk, most likely doing homework, with his lamp on when Luke entered the room. “Luke!” he yelled in a whisper. “So, I kinda don’t have a home now,” the drenched boy said, looking at his sneakers. “Let me get you some clean clothes.” Reggie headed to his closet and picked out a t-shirt and some sweatpants. “Isn’t this my shirt?” Luke asked, looking at the tag. Reggie’s cheeks burned bright red. “You left it at the garage and I forgot to give it back.” Luke laughed and changed clothes as Reggie resumed his homework.
Luke looked around the room, nostalgia from his childhood washing over him. Memories of Reggie and him playing, Luke comforting him while he cried from how loud his parents were fighting, sleeping over and how Reggie would always end up next to him, arms wrapped around him as if he were a stuffed animal. Reggie still slept with a stuffed animal, a teddy bear named Charlie that Luke got him for his birthday one year. “Can I stay over tonight?” Luke asked, catching Reggie’s attention. “There’s nowhere else for you to go, so yes.” Luke walked over to him, wrapping his arms around his shoulders and resting his head on his right shoulder. “I could go to the garage, I think you just want me to stay,” he whispered into Reggie’s ear. The pen he was using dropped and his eyes went wide. If he turned his head there would be less than an inch of space between their faces, specifically their lips, so he kept staring at the paper, hoping Luke would go away as if he were some sort of mirage, but he didn’t. He could feel Luke’s breath on his neck. It was warm and gave Reggie goosebumps.
He knew that if he tried to talk, his thoughts would spill out of his mouth with no control, so he kept quiet. Panic washed over him as a new thought came to mind, What if my parents walk in? They weren’t fighting, which meant they were most likely asleep. But, on occasion, his mom would check up on him right before she went to bed. Reggie hoped and prayed that it wouldn’t happen. And after what seemed like hours, but when Reggie looked back up at the clock, it had only been around two minutes, Luke removed himself from Reggie and laid on the bed. “How much work do you have left?” Luke whined. “Not much. Only a couple problems left.” A sigh of relief came from Luke.
Reggie soon finished the work and changed his jeans to sweatpants and slipped off his jacket. He joined Luke on the bed, who was close to falling asleep. A weak smile formed on Reggie’s lips as he grabbed a blanket and covered the tired boy with it. “Goodnight, Luke,” he whispered. Reggie climbed under the covers, Charlie in hand. That night, he got the best sleep he had in awhile.
When the two awoke, the sun was just starting to rise. They had moved throughout the night and Luke ended up with his arms around Reggie’s waist and his head in the crook of his neck. Luke’s entire face turned hot pink when Reggie acknowledged it. His clothes from last night were still damp, so he borrowed a pair of Reggie’s jeans.
Luke ran home and grabbed some more of his stuff since his parents were at work and he had a key to the house. When he arrived at school, Reggie was with Alex, another member of the band, waiting for Luke to join them. “Hey,” Alex said, Luke waved back and they started to walk towards the school. Luke and Reggie walked next to each other, Alex a few steps behind them. Their hands bumped together every now and again until they reached their lockers. Luke noticed Reggie was being more quiet than his normal self. “So, do you want me to stay again tonight? If not, I’ll stay at the garage.” Reggie looked up, “If you want to. I do enjoy your company, though.” Luke laughed and nodded, “If it means that much to you, I guess I can do that.” Reggie’s cheeks covered in red as Luke walked to his homeroom.
“You’re staying at Reggie’s?” Alex asked him. The classroom buzzed with chatter as the students waited for the first bell to ring and dismiss them to their first class. Luke nodded, “I ran away from home last night. There’s no way my folks are letting me back.” Alex nodded, “This is why I’m waiting to come out to my parents.” Luke smiled. The two boys dated last year and broke up at the beginning of this year. It had taken Alex more time than Luke to get over it, but they didn’t let it ruin their friendship or their band performance. “He’s been quieter today. Did anything happen last night?” Alex asked. “When we woke up, we were cuddled up. Like, my face was in his neck type of cuddling.” Alex’s eyes widened, “Maybe he likes you.” Luke chortled, “No way.” Alex raised his eyebrows, “You never know.” Luke shook his head in disagreement. The blond shrugged his shoulders and the discussion ended there.
The school day passed by as any other one would, the boys ate lunch and talked about what songs they would play at rehearsal and their next gig. Reggie rode home with Luke in his car while Alex was picked up by his mother to go to visit a family member outside town. “Sorry I passed out in your bed last night.” Reggie looked over at him and shook his head, “It's totally fine.” Luke smiled and looked over at Reggie as he stopped at a red light. “Do you want me to sleep on the floor tonight?” Luke asked. “No, you can sleep in my bed again. I don’t mind,” Reggie replied. Luke smirked, “Do you want to cuddle again, babe? Or do you want to share food and say cheesy pick up lines?” Reggie knitted his eyebrows together as a strong blush took over his face, “You’re playing with me, right?” They pulled into Reggie’s driveway. “Maybe I am, maybe I’m not.” Reggie looked over at him before they exited the car but didn’t say anything. They headed in, the house silent.
“Home alone!” Luke yelled into the empty house. Reggie smiled, glad to see Luke back to his normal self. He ran up the stairs, Reggie following behind. Luke flopped onto Reggie’s bed. “I’ve never felt more alive!” A large, toothy smile spread across Reggie’s lips. He looked at Luke’s sparkly blue eyes and joined him on the bed. Reggie thought about how Luke had never looked happier in his life. Luke started messing around with Reggie and they started to wrestle on the bed like they were seven again. Everything went silent when Luke had Reggie pinned down and he was hovering over him, their eyes locked. Luke took his chance. He lowered his head and kissed the boy beneath him. Reggie’s eyes widened, then slowly slid shut as he kissed back. It felt like a kiss from a movie where fireworks shot up in the background and music started playing. Seconds turned to hours as they kissed.
When Luke pulled back, Reggie fought the urge to kiss him again, but lost. He took his right hand, placed it on the back of Luke’s neck, and pulled him back down to him. They kissed again, this time with less shock. Luke took one hand and placed it on Reggie’s cheek, deepening the kiss while Reggie kept his hand on the back of Luke’s neck. His other hand played with the hem of Luke’s shirt. They pulled away for air, but they both knew they craved more. Neither of them said anything. Luke stayed hovering above Reggie, arms on either side of him, and Reggie stared into the deep, ocean like eyes of Luke. Their lips were wet and swollen, but they didn’t have a care in the world except for each other.
“Oh my, God,” Luke whispered. Reggie looked down, “I know.” Luke stood up, looking at Reggie while he sat on the edge of the bed. He looked back up at Luke. “Still want me to stay over?” Luke asked jokingly. Reggie stood up, eye level to Luke. “Of course,” he smiled and pecked Luke’s lips. “Jesus, you’re beautiful,” Luke commented. “Shut up.” They laughed and headed downstairs, fingers interlocked. They didn’t know what they were yet, but they were each other’s, and that’s all that mattered to them.
“Luke!” Reggie said, eyes widened. “I didn’t lie,” he said with a smirk. Reggie gave a small punch to his shoulder. “You’re disgusting.” Luke wandered over to the cabinets where he found a package of Twizzlers. “We should do the Lady and the Tramp thing with these!” he said, holding up the package. “You must really like my kisses,” Reggie laughed. Luke opened the package and grabbed one. “I love them.” They each took an end and made their way to the middle until their lips touched. Luke’s arms rested around Reggie’s neck and Reggie’s wrapped around his waist, pulling him close. Reggie pulled away with Luke’s lip in between his teeth as he let it snap back into place. “That was pretty hot,” Luke commented. Reggie’s smile faltered as he looked down. “Is it okay if we keep this private? I’m not sure how my parents would feel.” Luke took his finger and lifted his chin up. “Of course. I’m never going to force you to come out if you’re not ready. I’m always going to be here for you and you know that,” Luke said in a comforting voice. A weak smile and a sigh of relief came from Reggie, “Thank you.”
The two moved from the kitchen to the living room, where they danced to old records Reggie’s parents had from when they were younger. “Eddie my love, I love you so,” Luke sang along as they slow danced like they were at an awkward school dance. Reggie rested his head on Luke’s shoulder while Luke’s hands were on his waist. They swayed back and forth, careful not to trip on each other’s feet. Reggie was starting to slow down, meaning he was feeling sleepy. Luke held onto him and led him to the couch where he laid down with him, grabbing a blanket and covering both of them. Reggie wrapped his arms around Luke’s waist and set his head on Luke’s back. Luke smiled and closed his eyes to go to sleep as well.
Luke awoke to a car door slamming in the driveway. He realised Reggie’s parents were home. He carefully removed Reggie’s arms from around him and fixed the blanket as he heard the door open. It was Reggie’s mom. “Luke! It’s been so long since I’ve seen you. What are you doing here?” She dropped her purse on the island and gave Luke a tight hug. She looked over to see Reggie asleep. “Oh, that boy. Asleep with company. Gonna be the death of us both, isn’t he?” Luke laughed and nodded. “No use waking him up now,” she had made her way to the kitchen, “sleeps about as heavily as his father. Once they’re out, they’re gone. Are you staying?” Luke looked up, “Yeah. Alex is visiting some family so we skipped rehearsal.” She smiled and pulled out something from the freezer. “We’re having chicken tenders tonight. Would you like to come help since he’s knocked out?” Luke walked to the kitchen and nodded. “Great! Put this in the microwave for about ten minutes while I make the breading,” she directed. He did as told and started to help make the breading.
After dinner was finished, Luke woke Reggie, even if it took about five minutes. “Hey, baby,” he said groggily before planting a kiss on Luke’s forehead. “Hi,” he smiled before it faltered, “Your mom’s home so try to keep down the affection,” Luke warned. Reggie looked over to see his mom setting the table for dinner. “Reginald!” she said when she saw him walk in. He was rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as he sat down. “I cannot believe you fell asleep with company over. Just like your father, I swear.” She presented him with a plate of chicken tenders and a small helping of mashed potatoes on the side. “Thank God I had enough food for everybody. You should’ve told me he was coming over,” she said. “It was last minute. I’m sorry,” Luke apologised. She smiled at him, “It’s not your fault, sweetheart. Though, if I knew you were coming over, I would’ve cleaned the house up a bit more since some people,” she cleared her throat and looked at Reggie, who was already digging into his dinner, “don’t like to help around here.” He looked up and his face turned slightly pink. “I’ve been here more than my own house, Lilian. It’s much cleaner than mine ever has been,” he said. She smiled her thanks and they ate their dinner, striking up small talk about school, Luke’s life, and the band.
Once everybody had finished eating, “Don’t worry about this. You go have fun with Reggie,” she insisted when Luke offered to help clean up. He ran up the stairs and headed into Reggie’s room, who was sitting on his bed, playing around with his bass. “Hello, good looking,” Luke said jokingly as he shut the door behind him. Reggie looked up and smiled. He placed his bass beside his bed and stood up, “You talkin’ ‘bout yourself?” Luke smirked and licked his lips, “No, no, I’m talking about you.” Reggie took a handful of Luke’s t-shirt and pulled him so they were less than an inch apart. “You wanna kiss me, pretty boy?” Luke whispered. Reggie backed up, “No.” He said it in a simple voice, his eyes staying locked onto Luke’s. “Okay, then,” Luke said simply. He grabbed his bag of things, headed to the bathroom, and announced that he was going to shower. Reggie nodded and grabbed his backpack and got started on homework. He debated in his head if he should follow Luke and join him. He set his homework on his bed and headed the direction Luke did.
He heard the water running and slowly opened the door. Luke was nowhere in sight, but Reggie heard faint humming coming from the shower. Reggie slowly undressed and hopped into the shower, scaring Luke. “Reggie! What are you doing here?” Reggie smirked, “Wanted to surprise you.” A smile presented itself on Luke’s face. “You did that.” Reggie stepped forward and kissed Luke. “There’s my kiss, pretty boy,” Luke joked. The other boy shook his head with his grin and grabbed a bottle of shampoo. “Wet your hair for me.” Luke smiled and did as told. Reggie squeezed some into his hand and started washing Luke’s hair. He combed his fingers through and started to rinse the shampoo out. “Close your eyes,” Reggie directed. Once all the shampoo was out, they switched spots and Luke washed Reggie’s hair. Reggie’s body released all stress and only focused on the feeling of Luke’s fingers in his hair. “Someone’s enjoying this,” Luke joked. “Shut up.” Luke laughed at this but continued to wash and rinse his hair. “God, you’re so pretty,” Reggie heard Luke say under his breath. “If I’m pretty then you must be the most gorgeous boy in the world,” he replied. Luke looked up, a blush covering his cheeks. “I wish we could stay in here and do this forever,” Luke thought aloud. Reggie gave him a small kiss on the lips. “Me, too, Luke. Me, too.” A small smile took over Luke’s lips.
Once they had finished washing each other, Reggie grabbed two towels, handing one to Luke. “We should do this more often,” Luke said as he dried his hair off, running his fingers through the now damp hair. He looked up and saw Reggie’s towel resting on his hips. “Woah,” he said quietly. His hair was messy, different than his usual slicked back with gel style, water dripping from it. And the water from his hair raced down his torso, leading down to the towel. “Enjoying yourself?” Reggie had an egotistical look on his face as Luke cleared his throat. “Let’s get back to your room.” Reggie laughed but opened the door for Luke as they walked to his room.
The two boys had gotten dressed, wearing each other’s hoodies over top of their clothes. “I think we have some popcorn and my mom has Poltergeist on VHS,” Reggie offered. Luke shook his head, “I just want to lay with you tonight and give you all of my kisses.” Reggie smiled and gave small, individual kisses that soon turned to long and passionate ones. They had stumbled their way to the bed, laughs coming out between kisses. When the two had finally pulled apart, a long string of saliva came out between them and they were panting. “I’ve dreamed of this moment forever and it’s even better than my imagination could’ve ever taken me,” Reggie said to Luke, who leaned back down and planted one more kiss on his lips. “This is only the beginning, baby.” Reggie chuckled and sat up. “We could’ve been doing this so much sooner, couldn’t have we?” Luke smiled and tilted his head, “Probably. But that doesn’t matter. What matters is that it’s happening now.” Reggie nodded. Luke leaned forward and planted a small kiss on his forehead before checking the time on the clock. 8:10. “God, time flies,” he said. Reggie laughed, “Yeah, it really does.”
A car door slamming and the opening of the front door came from downstairs. Reggie’s dad was home. “Oh, no,” he sighed. Luke looked over to see worry had washed over Reggie’s face. Luke immediately started to comfort him by wrapping one of his arms around his shoulder, the other taking Reggie’s hand into his own. “It’s gonna be okay. You know that as long as I’m here, nothing is going to hurt you.” Reggie looked up, “It’s way past seven. He’s been out drinking. That’s when the fighting is the worst.” Luke knew how much Reggie hated his parents fighting. “Oh, Reggie, baby. I hate seeing you go through this.” A small sob escaped Reggie. Luke felt his heart in his throat, as if he were the one about to cry. “I have an idea.” Reggie looked up at Luke curiously. “Get under the covers and get comfortable,” he instructed. He got up, turned on Reggie’s desk lamp as a substitute for a night light, turned off the main lights of the room, and climbed into bed with Reggie. “I want you to just talk to me until you get tired. If you fall asleep before they start fighting, you won’t hear it,” Luke explained. Reggie nodded. Luke was behind him, hands wrapped around Reggie’s waist. His hands rested on top of Reggie’s and Luke head laid on the back of the other boy’s shoulder.
“So, do you want to figure out what we are?” Luke asked. Reggie shook his head, “All I know is that I’m yours and you’re mine. We don’t need labels, do we?” A laugh came from Luke, “No, I guess not. What about today? Did you have a good time?” Luke couldn’t see him but he knew the boy was smiling. “Best day of my life.” Luke smiled at that, “As long as my pretty boy is happy, so am I.” Luke could feel Reggie’s breathing slow down as he started to feel more tired. “Goodnight, love bug. I’ll see you in the morning.” Luke kissed Reggie’s back and headed to sleep.
Luke wasn’t as heavy of a sleeper as Reggie was, so when he heard the loud fighting of his parents downstairs, he couldn’t immediately go back to sleep. Reggie was still soundly asleep, though. Luke looked up at the clock hung on the wall which read 12:48. Luke tried to go back to sleep, but the volume of the fighting was too loud for him to go back to sleep. He admitted defeat and stayed awake. He stared at Reggie, his breathing slow and automatic. His hair had dried and was now in its natural state. Luke ran his fingers through it. It felt soft in between them. “So, so beautiful,” he whispered. The fighting turned from screaming to just bickering. Luke didn’t bother to listen to what they were saying, but he could hear them. He tried to go back to sleep again, this time it succeeded, even though it took him longer than expected.
“Luke! Wake up, babe.” He opened his eyes to Reggie shaking him. “I’m up!” he said. “Good morning,” Reggie said in a sweet voice, greeting him with a kiss. “I like this treatment,” said Luke, smiling. “Well, my mom’s at work and my dad went on a fishing trip, so we can do basically whatever we want.” Luke sat up, “That’s amazing.” “What’s also amazing about it is that I can do this,” Reggie straddled Luke’s waist, wrapping his arms around his neck for support, and kissed Luke. It wasn’t sweet and short like their normal kisses. It was long and heated, their noses bumping into each other and Luke’s hands unsure what to do with themselves. Reggie pulled back for air. “Let’s just do this forever,” Luke said jokingly. “If I had that chance, I would take it in a heartbeat.” They both smiled at each other and headed downstairs to make some breakfast.
“Do you even know how to cook?” Luke asked. “Yes! How dare you question my home skills,” replied Reggie in a bad British accent. Luke shrugged his shoulders and followed him into the kitchen. “Let’s not get distracted. Can’t burn the eggs or the bacon,” Reggie reminded. He grabbed a pan and greased it with butter before pulling out a large mixing bowl. He cracked four eggs into it, added some milk, and a pinch of salt and pepper. He mixed that together then added it into the hot pan. Luke stood behind him, arms wrapped around his waist and head rested on his shoulder. “Didn’t know you were such a chef,” he commented. “You shush. I need to focus.” Luke scoffed but stayed where he was, pressing small kisses to his cheek and neck. The eggs finished cooking and Reggie plated them before starting on the bacon. “I really need you to leave me alone. This gets messy and I can’t afford for you to get popped in the eye with flying grease,” Reggie said. Luke backed up, putting his hands up in defense. “Okay, okay. But lemme do one thing before I go.” He pecked Reggie on the lips quickly and headed upstairs.
He grabbed his guitar that had been laying in Reggie’s room from when he ran away from home and went back downstairs to the living room. He laid back in a chair, playing some chords and messing around with tuning. The smell of bacon wafted in from the kitchen. Luke’s mouth watered and his stomach growled, begging to feed it. He quietly sneaked into the kitchen, seeing Reggie was still frying the bacon. There were a few pieces of bacon placed on a plate with a paper towel on it to collect the grease. Luke tried to get a piece but got smacked in the hand by Reggie, who’s eyes were still on the bacon. “Be patient, my dear. I promise it won’t take much longer.” Luke leaned his head on Reggie’s shoulder and wrapped his arm around his waist for balance while his eyes slid shut. “I really don’t want this weekend to end,” Luke sighed. “I know, baby. Me, too.”
The bacon finished shortly after that and they ate in the living room, Reggie snuggled in Luke’s lap while they watched an old movie that Reggie found. Luke softly turned Reggie’s head so that he was facing him and kissed him. “Thank you for all of this, babe. I really can’t tell you enough how grateful I am for you.” Reggie smiled and turned his body towards Luke’s. “I’m just grateful to have you in my life at all.” He laid his head on Luke’s chest, listening to the soft thumps of his heartbeat. “You’re so cheesy,” Luke laughed. Reggie’s breathing slowed, meaning he was starting to fall sleepy. “Is it nap time for my baby?” Reggie scoffed but stayed in his position cuddled up with Luke. “We can take a short one,” Luke offered. Reggie hummed his approval and he was asleep no later than five minutes.
The door opened to reveal Lilian, home early from work. “Reggie, I’m back! Thought I’d surprise you and Luke with,” she stopped. She saw the two boys, cuddled up on the couch, their legs entwined together and her son’s face buried into the crook of his best friend’s neck. “Some McDonald’s,” she whispered as she finished her sentence. She decided to let the boys be instead of waking them, “I always thought there was something more than just friendship between them,” she thought aloud. She knew what her husband would think if he found out, and she definitely knew what he would do if he found out, so she decided to keep it to herself. She grabbed the empty plates and set them in the sink before taking out the fast food and laying them on the counter for the boys to eat later. She figured she wouldn’t ask questions; there was a reason they hid it from her. Lilian continued to do her normal chores throughout the house, almost forgetting the boys were there.
Luke woke up and harshly shut his eyes to the bright light coming from the window. He sat up, Reggie stirring but still holding onto him, and realised someone was home. The smell of fast food lingered in the air and their plates from the side table were gone. One of them must have come home early, he concluded. “Reggie, someone’s home. You have to wake up,” he cooed and shook him slightly. Reggie groaned and turned away in response. “Come on, baby. We really need to get up. I don’t know if they saw us or not.” His eyes slowly fluttered open and sat up, struggling to keep his balance. “Good morning, sleepy head,” Luke greeted him and gave him a small kiss. Reggie smiled and rubbed the sleepiness out of his eyes. “Is that McDonald’s I smell?” Luke gave a smile, “There’s the boy I know.” They hopped up and saw food on the counter. “God, your mom is the best.” They dug in, laughing and talking before Lilian entered the room. “Hi, boys. How did you sleep?” she said with a smile. They looked at each other before Reggie looked down with a blush on his face. “Great,” Luke said as he ate a fry. “That’s good. Glad you woke up before your father got home, Reggie.” He moved closer to Luke who wrapped a free arm around his shoulders. “We know, Lilian. He’s still a bit tired.” She chuckled, “Well, I’m gonna do some more chores ‘round the house. I’ll let you two be.” They nodded and continued to eat, Reggie still under Luke’s arm.
Luke and Reggie were cautious for the rest of the day, scared that Lilian would catch them in the middle of a kiss or say something. She seemed to be okay with the boys being together. Once they had finished their meal and headed upstairs, they made sure to shut the door behind them. Luke sat down on the edge of the bed, Reggie walking towards him with a sly grin, “Look who I have all to myself.” Luke smirked as Reggie ran his fingers through Luke’s messy dark locks. His fingers soon travelled from Luke’s hair slowly down his face, caressing it softly until he made it to his lips. His fingers hovered over them as if they were dangerous to touch. Luke looked up at Reggie. The moment felt so intimate and so raw—Reggie just admiring Luke’s beauty. It was quieter than silence itself. His hand was now laid Luke’s cheek, his thumb rubbing back and forth on the smooth skin. “So, so beautiful,” he sighed. Luke smiled and stood up, Reggie’s hand retracting. Luke laughed and looked at Reggie, “How did I get so lucky?” Reggie wrapped his arms around his neck. “I could say the same for myself.” The two smiled, leaning forward so their foreheads touched and slid their eyes shut, not having a care in the world except that they had each other.
“I’m gonna stay again tonight,” Luke announced. Reggie laughed, “You’d miss me too much even if you didn’t.” They were laying in Reggie’s bed, heads resting on opposite sides. “I’m sort of getting used to having someone to be with at night,” he admitted, “And yeah, I would miss you.” Reggie smiled, even though Luke couldn’t see it. “Me, too. But my mom would get suspicious if you started basically living here. I would love it, but I don’t think my mom could handle the two of us.” Luke laughed but didn’t say anything. “What do you think Alex will say?” Reggie asked, “I know it’s been like eight months since you two broke up.” Luke sighed, “Yeah. I think he’s been seeing this one guy. Willie, I think his name is. I’ve seen him around school. He’s that one kid with the super long hair who’s always skating. He seems good for Alex.” Reggie sat up, “Hey. I know you loved him. It’s hard to see someone you knew like that move on, but, you’re moving on, too. You’re both making progress. I’m incredibly proud of both of you.” Luke felt his eyes tear up a bit, but didn’t let them fall. “I swear you are the most perfect person I’ve ever met.” Luke was now sitting up and he leaned forward to give Reggie a tight hug. Luke had never loved someone more than he did Reggie. And deep down, he had always known that he loved him, but he just never wanted to accept it.
The clock read 2:13 and Reggie felt like he had done nothing all day. Luke was, for the first time in the last two days, not with him. He was with Reggie’s mom at the store because he wanted to get Reggie something. He tried to convince him not to, but once Luke decides something, he is dead set on it. Reggie had no idea what he was planning on getting him, but he knew that Luke knew him well enough to get him something he would love. Reggie was the only person in the house now, and without Luke, he had no idea what to do. He practiced on his bass, watched some TV, ate some food, but to no avail, it didn’t make much time pass. Typically, his mom took about an hour at the store and only fifteen minutes had passed. Reggie flopped himself down on the couch and sighed dramatically. He looked over at the playing TV to see a random romantic comedy playing. He knew he had around forty-five minutes left, so he decided to invest it in watching this movie.
It had only just started when he began watching. There was a woman who had long blonde hair and was your average, beautiful actress in a rom com. Her name was Mary and she recently graduated from college. While at a job interview, she meets James, a handsome businessman who seems very interested in Mary. After a week, she gets the job and finds James to be working in the cubicle next to her and finds the courage to ask her on a date. Basic rom com plot, but when Luke and Lilian came home, he didn’t want to take his eyes off the screen. “Reggie,” Luke waved his hand in front of his face, but he didn’t react. They both gave up and let him be as they put up groceries. Mary and James kissed and the end credits came on screen. “I’m in love with romantic comedies now,” Reggie said as he entered the kitchen. “As long as you’re happy,” replied Luke, laughing, who handed him a poorly wrapped box. Reggie shook it but there was no noise. He unwrapped it to find a Polaroid camera. “It’s so we can make new memories,” Luke explained. Reggie’s eyes lit up as he opened the box and inserted the film. Reggie turned Luke’s head with one hand and kissed him, taking the camera in his dominant hand and taking a picture of them. The flash was bright and Luke blinked before he realised what happened. The picture slowly exited from the camera and Reggie shook it as it developed. It showed the two boys kissing, Luke’s face blotchy from blushing. Reggie took a permanent marker and wrote the date on it with a heart beside it. “October fifteenth, nineteen ninety-five,” Luke read as he examined the photo. “The day we became a couple,” Reggie looked at him, “I’ve thought about it and I want you to be my boyfriend. To go on dates, hold hands, and get each other chocolates and flowers for Valentine’s Day.” Luke smiled, tears in his eyes. “Okay,” he said timidly before gaining confidence in his voice, “Boyfriends.” They smiled and kissed once more. They were boyfriends.
It had been six months since it happened. The two boys were as happy as could be. They only told close people they knew would accept them. Like Alex, Lilian, and a few others. Luke mended things with his parents. When he told them he was dating Reggie, they accepted him and let him move back in. Now, Luke would pick up Reggie every morning, stop by Starbucks, and ride to school together. “A tall vanilla bean frappuccino with extra whip and a venti coffee with sugar and creamer, please,” Luke ordered. Reggie didn’t like coffee but he wanted to feel included. “That’ll be fifteen eighty-nine,” a voice said from the intercom. Luke drove up and gave them a twenty dollar bill in exchange for their drinks. “Here’s your change, sir,” a girl with short brown hair and pale lips said. “Thank you.” And with that they drove off to school.
“Morning, love bugs,” Alex said as he caught up with the two. “Shut up,” Luke replied jokingly. Along with him, there was a tall boy with long, dark hair that came down to just below his chest and tan skin. “Hello, baby,” greeted Alex with a kiss on the cheek. “And you’re calling us love bugs?” Reggie asked, taking a sip of his drink. “I have to get to English. Major test I gotta study for. I’ll catch you all later. And,” Willie gave a quick kiss to Alex’s forehead, “I’ll see you in science.” Luke and Reggie groaned as Alex blushed intensely and waved at his boyfriend. “You two are gonna be like Taylor and Will if you’re not careful,” warned Luke. Taylor and Will were the biggest case of PDA in the school. They were always making out in the hall, holding hands, or just all over each other in general. All the boys made bets on how long they would last. So far, Willie and Luke have lost. “We will not!” Alex defended. Luke and Reggie looked at each other, but didn’t say anything. “Well, I have to go, too. See you later,” Alex said as he walked to his locker.
“Look who I have to myself,” Luke purred in Reggie’s ear, which sent goosebumps all over his body. They were never ones to show much PDA in school, but sometimes Luke would tease Reggie. “Everyone can see us,” Reggie said cautiously. “That’s the fun of it, though,” Luke said. Reggie’s heart rate became faster and he could feel his face heating up. “God, I wish we were at home,” Reggie thought out loud. Luke’s hand played with Reggie’s in between them. He fiddled with his fingers and messed with his rings. “Me, too,” replied Luke simply. They soon arrived at Reggie’s locker. “Well, this is my stop. I’ll see you later,” Reggie said and started to open it. “You better see me later.” When Reggie looked back to say something, Luke was gone.
The rest of the day went on as usual. Willie watched the clock tick, waiting for it to hit three so he could go skate. Alex saw Willie every chance he got, unlike Luke and Reggie, who rarely saw each other throughout the school day. And the boys all saw each other at lunch, discussing the band, gigs, and rehearsal. Willie was the artist of the group and provided the covers for CDs. “This one is really pretty,” noted Reggie. It was the Sunset Curve logo in sunset colors on a white background. “Agreed,” Alex chimed in. “Well, I guess that’s that,” Luke said simply. The four nodded their head and moved on to a new conversation. Soon, the bell rang and the boys all said their goodbyes before heading off to their next class.
Luke slammed his locker shut, glad for the day to be over. He took out his walkman and inserted this disk, placing it into his pocket before slipping on the headphones and listening to the rock music that filled his ears. He walked out of the school towards his car, seeing Reggie going the same way. A smile spread across his face as he snuck up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. Luke pressed pause on his walkman and let the headphones rest around his neck. “Hello, my love,” greeted Luke. Reggie laughed and took Luke’s hand into his own. “Hello, dear.” They walked to the car, Luke opening the door for Reggie “like a gentleman” as he put it. “I can’t believe it’s been six months. Half a year of pure bliss,” Reggie said. Luke nodded and leaned over, giving him a small kiss.
It hadn’t been all “pure bliss” as Reggie put it. There’d been fighting, crying, and almost breaking up. But in the end, they knew that it was a small price to pay when being in a relationship. Sometimes they had harmless bickers like when they went back and forth about what the best flavor of ice cream was. But other times they have big fights, like Reggie’s parents did, which scared Reggie the most. He didn’t want to end up like them, especially his father. Coming home drunk almost every night and causing a big fuss downstairs with his spouse after they refuse to get you more beer. Reggie never even planned to drink. Maybe a shot on his twenty-first birthday, but nothing like his father. He told Luke this and he promised him that they would never be like that. Ever. And Reggie believed him because he knew that he could keep that promise. Though, one night, it was broken.
Luke entered the garage, slurring his words and looking unstable in the way he walked. “Luke?” Reggie called out. It was a couple hours before a gig. A big one. “Oh, hi, Reggiekins,” he replied. “Are you,” Reggie paused, knowing the answer to his question was yes, “drunk?” Luke’s eyes widened, “No, no. I just had a few,” he belched, “beers and maybe some shots with the guys who got us the gig.” Reggie was furious. “You’re so stupid! How could you get drunk at this time? You’re not even old enough to drink. How did they let you do that?” He was yelling now, Luke flinching at every word. “I don’t know, baby. They just, they just did.” Reggie’s eyebrows knitted together, “You are so much smarter than this, Luke. So much smarter. You’re gonna pass out and then be hungover and not be able to play. You’re the lead singer of this band. You created it. And now you’re just throwing it all away to go get drunk?” Reggie was now just spewing out his thoughts. Luke stumbled forward and Reggie could already smell the alcohol. “Get away from me!” he yelled. Luke stopped and stepped back. Tears filled Reggie’s eyes, “I love you so much, but you can’t be like this around me. I’m not going to tolerate it like my mother. I’m not going to end up like my mother.” Reggie was never one to have loud outbursts of anger, but he wasn’t about to let the person he loved and trusted flush his life down the drain.
The day after, Reggie helped nurse Luke back to sobriety before he confronted him. “I’m so sorry. I really shouldn’t have drunk. It was stupid and I know how much you hate alcohol. I’m not asking for your forgiveness. I’m just apologising and owning up to my mistakes,” Luke said. His eyes meeting Reggie’s. The other boy leaned forward and hugged him. “I love you so much and I know that you really didn’t mean to hurt me. You mean the world to me, baby. So, so much.” Luke hugged tighter, a sniffle coming from him.
Since then, Luke hadn’t touched anything that had alcohol in it. Even though it was a one time thing, Reggie was still wary. He knew that one time could turn into twice then a nightly thing until it’s an addiction. Reggie cared about Luke too much to let that happen. Even though he was still scared that it may happen again, he trusted that it wouldn’t and they continued on with their relationship as it did before.
Meanwhile, back in the car, Luke decided to do something nice for the two of them since he had gotten a job last month as a cashier at a local grocery store to make some money and recently gotten paid. He turned left instead of right, leaving Reggie confused. “Hey, you turned the wrong way,” he alerted Luke. He only nodded and kept silent. Puzzlement washed over Reggie as they headed into town. They two stayed quiet, the only noise being the faint music that was playing on the radio. Reggie leaned his head to the side, resting it on his seatbelt as he slowly drifted to sleep. Luke looked over at the sleeping boy and smiled before he turned into the grassy parking lot of the fair that was taking place this week. Luke softly shook Reggie awake before he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and looked around, confused. “Just wanted to take you on a small date and let you have some fun,” explained Luke. Reggie smiled and opened the car door, alerting Luke to do the same. He counted the money in his wallet as they walked to the ticket counter. Fifty dollars, he thought.
After they got some tickets and played a few games (Reggie winning them all and gathering a rather large amount of stuffed animals), Luke decided he was hungry and tired. So, they purchased a funnel cake to share and two sodas for themselves. The two walked to a nearby table and ate, trying their best to not show too much affection. They knew that people weren’t very accepting of anything other than normal, and even then, there’s always something to say even if it is. “We can go on the ferris wheel, then we can go home,” Luke said. Reggie nodded his agreement and then they headed to the giant ferris wheel. “Thank Lord neither of us are scared of heights,” joked Reggie, which got a small chuckle and nod from Luke. They waited in line for about ten minutes before they got on. Reggie leaned his head on Luke’s shoulder, eyes slowly sliding shut. Luke intertwined his fingers with Reggie’s as they slowed to a halt at the top. There was a beautiful view of the glowing sunset and the entire town. “It’s gorgeous,” Luke sighed. Reggie opened his eyes and gasped slightly. “Not as gorgeous as you, though.” He kissed Luke’s cheek, making him blush. “Six months of pure bliss. And may there be more to come,” said Reggie before he whispered something in Luke’s ear that made his eyes widen. “God, I’m so in love with you. So, so in love with you,” Luke admitted before he kissed Reggie’s lips. They had forgotten about everybody down below and didn’t even care at this point. Luke and Reggie were two boys in love and if anybody had anything to say, they could keep it to themselves.