Sharp, Bitter, Sour
[Memory, Freshman Year, February]
Alexander dropped by Brad’s side, getting unnervingly close and personal in his friend’s space, while Lyn observed the duo with increasing annoyance. They were here because they were supposed to study, not goof around.
Brad wouldn’t be himself if he missed a chance to neglect his studies in favor of anything else, as long as it was remotely more entertaining than staring at a textbook.
“Whatcha doing, bro?” Brad slurred his words, giving Alexander a head-on stare.
Alexander was never one to forgo a challenge. These two guys were too typical when it came to their personalities. Lyn continued to look at them, but he did glance at his study materials once in a while, caught between two imperatives.
“Bradley, stop acting like a meathead,” Alexander scolded Brad. “We know very well how lazy you are. Athletes need discipline, and you’re not one for it.”
Brad let out a long, suffering sigh. “That is so true.” He pouted, making Lyn’s heart skip a beat.
Alexander’s hand got in the way the following moment. Lyn forgot about his textbook completely as he stared shamelessly now, because Alexander was wiping Brad’s mouth with his thumb like it was the most natural thing in the world. He did it hard, like a mom annoyed with her kid, but still, he was touching Brad as Lyn only dreamed of doing.
Lyn’s hand became sweaty as he gripped his pen harder.
“You eat like a pig, Bradley. And lay off eating crackers all the time. They’re going to show up on your belly, sooner or later.”
Brad guffawed and pulled his sweatshirt up, showing off his perfect abs. Lyn knew very well that Brad cared way too much about his looks to let a pack of crackers get in the way of keeping in shape to the point that it was easy to suspect him of low-key narcissism.
His eyes lingered on the sight in front of him, a bit too long.
“What were you saying about my belly? Come on, touch it,” Brad provoked Alexander. “I know you want to,” he added, putting a funny spin on his willingly creepy accent.
“You guys,” Lyn said abruptly, stealing nervous glances around. “Stop it. People might think you’re gay or something.”
It was a lame thing to say, but at least, he had managed to stop Alexander from touching Brad’s abdomen. Two pairs of eyes turned to him. The serene blues belonging to Brad were questioning, confused. The other pair, cold as steel, said something else. Always so damn judging, Lyn thought. Alexander took liberties with Brad. And Brad knew that Alexander had a big cock. Was he missing something here?
No, he decided, he wasn’t missing anything. These two straight dudes fooled around because they had nothing to hide, and it was easy for them to joke about it.
“And?” Alexander said, placing his forearms on the table, closing the distance between him and Lyn. “There is nothing wrong with being homosexual, or is there, Lynton?”
Fire wasn’t always warm and kind; it could be cold and deadly, too. Lyn barely sustained Alexander’s unblinking stare. “No, there’s not… but you aren’t gay,” he blurted out. “So… what you’re doing right now… it’s pretty weird.”
Alexander’s eyes glinted; that was a clear sign that the shark smelled blood in the water. Lyn felt himself beginning to sweat. He needed to rub the back of his neck to get rid of the prickling sensation.
“Disgusting?” Alexander said slowly.
“No, I didn’t say that,” Lyn protested. “It’s just that… other people might look at you two and think something weird about… about you,” he finished lamely.
The sharp sting in his chest didn’t go away. It stayed with him even after Brad and Alexander sank themselves into their studies for the next few hours, no other words exchanged between them.
***
Brad had a girlfriend. It wasn’t like he wasn’t usually fooling around with girls, but this time, it was serious. Lyn could tell because it was easy to identify all the signs. His friend who was also his crush, sighed sometimes and fell quiet; sometimes, he even daydreamed. Lyn was beginning to suspect that it might be the first time he had felt like that about someone.
It hurt not to be that someone. Lyn pushed the annoying thought away. He could pine all he wanted, but he wasn’t allowed to make a fool of himself by bringing up something as hidden and dark as his secret crush. Brad was straight – end of story. And Lyn could live without coming out to his straight best friend.
After all, they were friends, and that was the only thing that mattered. Lyn hurried up the stairs; he’d drop off the paper Brad had asked for and then return to his studies. Finals might feel like they were far away, but time flew by fast.
He had to knock three times to get Brad to open the door. A flushed face appeared in the slightly open door; surprised eyes stared at him.
“Lyn? Were we supposed to meet?”
“I sent you a message. No, I’m only here to drop this off.” Lyn showed Brad the USB drive. “Your paper on emerging markets, remember?”
“Oh, yeah, yeah,” Brad said, grinning broadly. He took the USB from Lyn’s hand, brushing his fingers against Lyn’s skin. They felt clammy.
A soft giggle emerged from somewhere inside the room.
“Do you have visitors?” Lyn asked, forcing a plastic smile out of the dry well inside him.
Brad shrugged. He turned his head and whispered something to the girl whose laughter grew louder. Then he opened the door a tad wider, allowing Lyn to see his naked torso. He was only wearing a pair of shorts. “Sorry, buddy,” he said, “I’d have you over in a heartbeat, but--” he moved closer and whispered in Lyn’s ear, “I’m about to score.” He snickered and wrapped one arm around Lyn, brushing against him despite being mostly naked and sweaty.
Dying had to feel like this. Bitter and nasty.
Lyn pushed Brad away, a bit too forcefully. “Don’t worry, man, I have to get back anyway.”
Brad frowned slightly.
Lyn forced himself to smile harder. “Go get her, tiger. Or whatever people say in these circumstances.”
Brad broke into laughter. “Yeah, yeah, see you later, Lyn. Also, clear your schedule for Friday night. I’m going to take you out. And it’s going to be to a nice place, because this,” he added, holding the USB drive up, “is my freaking saving grace. Like really, I love you, man.”
Lyn nodded briefly. “Just go back in. Don’t keep your girl waiting.”
***
What the hell? He stared at the ice cream cone, blinking a few times. Alexander was holding the thing right in his face, awfully ignoring that Lyn was there to lick his wounds and feel the cold stone underneath his butt as a way to keep himself grounded. Supposedly, no one came to this solitary place at the edge of campus where the remnants of a short wall could still be found for reasons unknown.
“What’s this?”
Alexander waved the cone in front of his eyes. “What does the shape tell you, Lynton?” he asked like a contest show host offering hints to the clueless participants.
“Don’t be such a smartass. It’s ice cream. In February.”
Alexander shrugged and brought the cone to his mouth. He stuck out his tongue and gave it a long lick. “Um,” he purred, “yummy. Are you sure you don’t want some?”
“After you licked it all over? No, thanks, Alexander,” Lyn said cuttingly, “keep your germs to yourself.”
“You like sour things.”
The remark was said matter-of-factly. Lyn had a hard time continuing to think of Brad and how he was scoring tonight, when Alexander said such things. So someone had noticed that he liked sour things. It wasn’t a big deal. Except it was; people didn’t notice things about others unless they had a reason. But Alexander did that kind of thing with everyone. At least with his closest friends, Lyn corrected himself.
“Okay, that’s true. I’m going to have a tiny lick, but then you can have the rest, okay?”
Alexander nodded briefly and handed him the cone.
“This is the part that your tongue full of germs didn’t touch, right?” Lyn asked, narrowing his eyes.
“Yes,” Alexander replied, watching him like a hawk.
Lyn began licking the ice cream from the other side. He didn’t trust Alexander about stuff like that.
“Wow, this is really sour. And really good.” He handed it back to his friend, who promptly licked the same place Lyn had just put his tongue on. “You bastard,” he joked, “now you’ve got your germs all over it.”
“You licked my germs anyway,” Alexander said.
“What? Was that the side where--” Lyn groaned and snatched the cone out of his friend’s hand. He licked it around and around, making sure not to miss a spot. “There. Now you can’t have it, either.”
“Like hell I can’t.” Alexander wrapped his fingers around Lyn’s and brought his face closer.
Too close.
Lyn watched him slurping away at the tasty treat. He shrugged and pulled the ice cream to himself. “Are you trying to comfort me or something?”
“Ice cream does that. I don’t,” came the prompt reply.
“What flavor is it?” Lyn asked. “Lime? It doesn’t taste like lime, though.”
“Passion fruit, actually.”
“Ah, that makes sense. Why are you here?”
“To give you ice cream.”
“Right. Why?”
“Because you need to be comforted.”
Lyn snorted. “Yeah, right. Why, exactly?”
Alexander said nothing. He looked somewhere into the distance, lost in thought. Then, out of the blue, he gave Lyn a serious stare. “He’ll get over it. He always does.”
“What are you talking about? I mean, who?”
Alexander pushed himself up to his feet. “Enjoy your horrible, sour ice cream, Lynton.”
“Horrible? Why did you buy it if you didn’t like it?” Lyn called out after his friend, who was already walking away.
A wave of the arm was the only answer he got. Lyn stared at the cone in his hand. Well, he liked sour things. Even if it was February, he’d finish it.
TBC
Author's note: Thanks for reading!
@Derek - Brad is meant to be confusing... that's because Lyn never really takes his time to really look at people. Alexander is so likely to get jealous :D
@DavidB - Ha-ha, he's meant to be the kind to fall for, not gonna lie! And you're not the only one in this boat. He has quite the fun club :)
@Buchanan - your 'wonderment' is well justified :D
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