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Ryan sat across from Dylan, staring at him with sparkling eyes. Dylan’s thumb twitched over the lighter in his hand. They basked in the moment, just looking over each other's features. A melancholic tune sounded in their ears, the smooth jazz soothing them as it poured from Dylan’s phone. Dylan blinked himself out of the daze, finally striking the spark and bringing the flame to the joint in his mouth, lighting it. Ryan just grinned.
The rest of the group had already left. Kaitlyn, Emma, and Jacob were probably bar-hopping, Abi had helped a very drunk Nick back to his hotel, Laura and Max had driven off shortly after them. It was the 3rd anniversary of... the thing.
They decided to meet up at Dylan and Kaitlyn’s house. Kaitlyn's parents were wealthy, and she received a large mansion and a ton of money after her father passed away.
Dylan inhaled the disgusting taste of marijuana smoke. It filled his lungs, and he felt himself sit further back in his seat. He held up the joint to Ryan, who took it.
They kept up with the routine of puff n’ pass until Dylan broke their comfortable silence.
“Okay... how about truth or dare?” He proposed, gesturing with his right hand. Ryan glared at him sceptically and passed the joint. “What? It won’t go bad this time, I promise.”
“Okay,” Ryan sighed. “Truth or dare?”
Dylan pondered for a moment. “Truth.”
“Okay... did you really have a thing for me at camp?”
Dylan stared at Ryan through his eyelashes, a light dusting of rose covered his cheeks.
“Yeah? Was it not obvious?” Dylan laughed and scratched the back of his head. “Truth or dare?”
“Truth- Wait, yeah, truth.”
“Why did you choose me, y’know, in the original game?” Dylan licked his lips as he asked, leaning forward. Ryan smiled at him.
“I had a thing for you too. Also, I’m pretty sure Kaitlyn prefers girls.” Ryan said. “Truth or dare?”
“Hmm. Dare.”
“Your dare comes with a choice. Ode to The Quarry or something. I dare you to... kiss me,” Ryan challenged Dylan. “Or, you have to give Shrödinger a bath.”
“Well, I don’t think she’d appreciate that much. Also, she’s really fat, I can barely pick her up.” Dylan breathed, inching closer to Ryan. “So, I guess I’ll have to...“
They stayed just inches apart for what felt like an eternity, just staring at each other’s lips.
Finally, Ryan surged forward and grabbed Dylan’s face, pressing their lips together. He felt the breath of a gasp against his mouth. Ryan heard the faint sound of the joint being put out from behind Dylan. Dylan’s hands moved to paw at Ryan’s back while he leaned in to the kiss. Their lips moved in sync, and their hands wandered.
They ended with Dylan on top of Ryan, whose back was pressed flush to the green corduroy underneath him. Their foreheads were pressed together, and their breathing was humid and warm against each other’s skin. Ryan snaked his warm hands under Dylan’s shirt, earning himself a cute boy kissing his neck.
“Truth or dare?” Dylan whispered against Ryan’s skin. Ryan took a deep breath before he responded.
“Truth.”
“How do you feel about me?”
The words spilled like a punctured waterbed.
“I love you.”
Dylan stopped kissing Ryan’s neck. Ryan covered his mouth with his hands and winced. They both sat up, Dylan staring down at Ryan. He hid behind his hands while Dylan breathed.
“Don’t—you—you don’t mean that.” Dylan finally whispered. Ryan felt him break on his lap, his sobs deafening. He didn’t know what to say, or how to comfort Dylan.
“Wha—huh?” Ryan removed his hands from his face, bringing them to Dylan’s. “I do mean it, I would’ve liked to-”
“You don’t—don’t mean it. Nobody ever h-” he sobbed again, collapsing into Ryan’s hands. Ryan looked up at him.
“Why would I lie to you, Dylan? You’re- you’re smart and funny. You’re gorgeous. And sweet. I wouldn’t—I wouldn’t lie to you about this. I... really like you.”
With tears running from his eyes, Dylan smiled.
“Are you—you’re sure?”
“Yes,” Ryan pulled Dylan into his arms. He could feel Dylan’s smile on his cheek. They sat like that until the playlist coming from Dylan’s phone stopped. Dylan leaned back to play more music, pulling Ryan up with him.
“Can we pick up where we left off?” Dylan asked as he pressed play. Laufey’s ‘Dreamer’ played out. Ryan nodded, leaning over to kiss him again.