Saturday, October 20th

     After Calix had stormed off, Jesse really didn’t feel like going back in. He wasn’t in the mood for more arguing, and he figured they would get over it soon enough. He had plenty of fights with Calix before. They never lasted longer than a few days, depending on how long it took for them to see each other. The longest fight they ever had, had been a week during vacation.

Jesse couldn’t even remember what the fight was about. All he knew was that it was similar to the fight they just had. Calix would every so often stand up for Jesse, while Jesse hadn’t asked him to do so.

And this time, Jesse got angry because Yoni was visibly upset by his verbal attack. Calix had no right to meddle in things. Jesse and Yoni had their own arrangement and as long as the two of them were fine with what the other did, Calix had no right to attack her about anything.

Besides, after Calix left, and Jesse, Arnold and Yoni went the other way, Arnold had explained he has a boyfriend, and he was just helping Yoni out with her mixed feelings about her relationship with Jesse, and her feelings for Donna.

He was just being her friend.

Jesse had tried to shake off the anger while they headed over to Unity, first of all because Yoni wanted to go and look for Donna, and secondly because neither of them felt like meeting up with their group of friends and see Calix that soon after their argument.

Jesse wanted the whole world to stop for a while, so he could take a break from all the drama and rest. Just about two days worth of sleep would do him good. But he knew that wasn’t a possibility for the time being, since he did have obligations like soccer and school.

And both were situations in which he would see Calix, and soccer was a thing that kept reminding him of the fact that he wasn’t living at home at the moment, since he now rode to soccer with Loek instead of Axel and Calix.

Which probably was another reason why Calix felt the need to worry over him.

But Jesse had to admit, when he entered Unity, found Donna so she could cheer up Yoni, and ditched Arnold—because, if he was being completely honest, he didn’t really like Arnold—he headed over to the bar.

At first, Loek smiled widely when he noticed him, but then he started frowning, and Jesse figured his face gave away the fact that he was annoyed and maybe a bit angry.

“What happened?” Loek asked, still continuing to get other people their drinks.

“Calix was being a dick.” Jesse shrugged, sighed, and sat down on a bar stool. “I think I might just go home.”

“Don’t let him ruin your evening,” Loek told him with a smirk on his face. “What happened? Did he turn you down?”

“What? No!” Jesse scowled, before he let out a laugh. “I would never hit on him. It’s a dream—one that isn’t going to come true.”

“If you say so.”

“You disagree?” Jesse frowned, and took the beer Loek offered him, handing him some money in return.

“Who says he isn’t in the closet?” Loek asked before he shrugged. “It happens more often. Take you, for instance. Nobody expects you to be gay. Yet, here you are.”

“Calix isn’t gay, and he’s probably one of those rare cases that ends up marrying his highschool sweetheart and everything.” Jesse placed his arms on the bar, yet again sighing. “Can we not talk about him? I’m kind of angry.”

Loek agreed, and for about an hour, Jesse entertained himself by either sitting at the bar, or dancing with Yoni and Donna, when suddenly, Loek was beside him.

“Are you done working?” Jesse was surprised, he expected Loek to work until closing time. Still, here he was.

“It isn’t that busy, so I was allowed to leave early.” Loek smiled and introduced himself to Yoni and Donna quickly, before pulling Jesse to the side a bit.

“You don’t seem to enjoy yourself,” Loek stated. “Your whole being screams I’m angry and annoyed. What did he do?”

“Who?” Jesse pretended not to know what he was talking about. But knowing Loek, he wouldn’t let it go that easily.

“Calix, what did he do?”

“He attacked Yoni for being friends with another guy. It really was uncalled for, especially since he got angry at me because ‘I allow it’,” Jesse complained, ending with a bit of a whiny voice. “Who am I to forbid Yoni from being friends with a guy? Even if we were a real couple.”

“I agree, but maybe he’s worried she’s cheating.”

“He knows Yoni. He knows she would never do that. She only kissed Donna after I knew and told her I support her. The only reason we’re still pretending to be together is because of all the questions it would raise if we broke up.”

“I know, you said your friends would know you’re lying. I still think they wouldn’t have a clue,” Loek told him again. And Jesse was wondering if he had a point. Wouldn’t it be easier to tell their friends they weren’t in love anymore? It wasn’t even a lie anyway. They loved each other in a purely platonic way. They weren’t in love anymore.

“Anyway, Calix had no right to attack her about it. But maybe there’s a reason he does,” Loek continued after a short silence.

“He’s worried about me because, apparently, I’m acting different from how I usually do.” And Jesse knew he was acting different. Things were one big mess and it caused him to stress. Which in turn made him smile less than usual.

“Maybe you should just tell him about Felipe, and the fact that you’re staying with me,” Loek suggested while he was still guiding Jesse back towards the bar.

“Maybe we should just drop the subject and go make some fun,” Jesse shot back, thinking his suggestion was better. He wasn’t here to overthink his issues and which one he could tell Calix to stop him from asking him what was wrong. If Jesse told Calix and Axel one issue, they would solely focus on that, and blame his behaviour on it. But which was best to tell…

It was giving him a headache.

Jesse just wanted to drink a few more drinks, make sure he was just about drunk enough to fell into a temporary alcohol-induced coma as soon as his head hit a pillow, and wake up the next day with no memory of the argument with Calix whatsoever.

He knew that wasn’t going to happen. He would still remember the argument with Calix, and he knew he had to put a stop to Calix worries soon, or he would only try to interfere with his life on more levels.

Jesse knew Calix meant well. He just wanted to help him. He was just being protective over his friends. He just showed it in the wrong way. And this wasn’t the first time he did. When Donna had broken up with Axel with no real explanation as to why she broke up, Calix had confronted her in the middle of the lunchroom the very next day.

Calix wasn’t subtle, and that could be annoying.

Still, Calix was just trying to be their friend, and Jesse couldn’t stop himself from feeling bad for how angry Calix had seemed when Jesse had turned against him. Calix was his weak spot, and he would probably always be.

For now, he just wanted to forget all about it and actually enjoy himself for the rest of the night.

     There was something about Loek. Something special. Something different. Something Jesse couldn’t quite name yet. It wasn’t his smile, it wasn’t his eyes. Jesse had been observing Loek all night, whether or not he was right beside him or a small distance away, and still Jesse didn’t know what it was about Loek that made him seem… interesting.

Jesse couldn’t deny there was something about Loek he was drawn to. Something Loek did made Jesse smile wider than he had done in a long time.

Loek was acting goofy for most of the night, and he had soon stolen the hearts of the girls, who absolutely adored him. Jesse was currently standing with Adam, one of Loek’s friends, watching how Yoni, Donna and Loek were dancing like fools. Still, Loek’s behaviour was contagious, and more people had started dancing as if their lives depended on it.

And Jesse loved every second of it. It felt good to see Yoni having fun with Donna, it felt good that Loek was having fun, and most of all it felt good that Jesse, in that moment, had no care in the world.

He wasn’t even drunk like the week before.

Or the weeks before that.

No, he was slightly tipsy, just enough to take the edge off of things. He was still able to walk, he knew he would remember the night in the morning, and for once, he didn’t care that he would. No, this night was a night worth remembering.

And he owed it to Loek, because his goofy behaviour caused Jesse to smile the entire night.

“He likes you,” Adam stated, pointing in Loek’s direction. “He keeps watching you. He keeps checking if you’re looking too.”

“How do you know?” Jesse asked with a frown, focussing back on Loek and his dancing.

“Believe me, I know a lot,” Adam answered, shuffling a foot. “People think I’m annoying because of it…” He took in a deep breath. “But trust me, Loek likes you.”

“Eh, okay…” Jesse hesitantly answered, shortly sending him a look. “I’m sure he’s just a good friend.”

“Sure.” Adam nodded, but the way he said sure, made it pretty clear he didn’t agree. “Why don’t you go over and dance with him?”

“No thanks,” Jesse told him while shaking his head. “Let’s not complicate things.”

“Sooo… you like him too?” Adam wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Jesse nudged an elbow in his ribs to get the foolish grin off his face. But he did take a moment to overthink his answer—which was highly unlike Jesse to do. But in that moment, he needed to choose his words carefully. Adam was one of Loek’s best friends and any and every word could be told to Loek eventually.

“I like him, yes… but we’re just friends,” he carefully told Adam truthfully.

“So, you like him and he likes you? Something tells me you should just go out there, dance with him, and have fun. Nothing complicated about that.”

“No, really, I shouldn’t…”

“I think that guy is eyeing Loek.” Adam gestured towards a guy that had been dancing close by for a while now. And when Jesse looked at him, he was checking Loek out, and that didn’t sit well with Jesse, at all.

“If you snooze… you lose,” Adam told him with a sing-song voice. “Either you go and dance with Loek, or Loek might get a visitor tonight.” Adam pushed him in Loek’s direction, and while Jesse was protesting, Adam turned him around to look at him. “Go, Jesse. Have some fun.”

When Jesse turned around, the guy who had been checking Loek out was already in front of him, but Loek’s eyes weren’t looking at the guy, but at Jesse.

“Wanna dance?” the guy asked Loek, who instantly shook his head.

“No, I think I already have a dance partner,” Loek answered, pushing past the guy towards him. “Finally wanna dance?”

“Eh, sure…” Jesse felt awkward since he usually didn’t really dance, and of course they just had to play a slower song all of the sudden.

Loek pulled him closer, smiling down on him, and suddenly Jesse noticed how tall Loek was compared to him. Not that Jesse was tall, at all. No, if anything, Jesse was small compared most of his friends.

Jesse slightly shook his head, and told himself to stop his train of thoughts, and focus on Loek, and the fact that he was dancing very, very close to him.

And how it suddenly got a lot hotter in Unity.

Or was that just because of Loek’s proximity?

“Hey, Jesse?” Loek pulled him closer by his shirt, and Jesse swallowed the lump that suddenly formed in his throat.

“Yes?” Jesse sheepishly replied.

Loek did not give him an answer, instead, his arm slid around his neck, and his lips connected with his.

Jesse was surprised. He had not expected Loek to kiss him, but he didn’t expect the kiss to end well before it actually started either.

Loek pulled back, staring right into his eyes with a mischievous glint in them. “I’ve been wanting to do that since last week,” he whispered with his forehead leaning against Jesse’s.

“Oh…” Jesse replied, wanting to slap himself in the face for his stupid replies. He wasn’t insecure, he wasn’t shy. So why didn’t he have a real answer? Why didn’t he just kiss Loek back? He knew he wanted a better kiss.

So, when Loek seemed to lean in again, Jesse met him in the middle, and kissed Loek like he had never kissed a guy before. It wasn’t a kiss out of lust. It was calm, it was warm, it was… the best kiss he’d ever had.

So maybe Adam was right, and maybe Jesse liked Loek a little more than he had been willing to admit.

And the kiss said it all.