Two weeks had passed since the day Ryan and his friends went to watch Drew's practice. And in those two weeks, Ryan had made it a point to make himself busy whenever Nora suggested for them to go watch Drew. He did so by busying himself with club activities and his studies, which were good choices but he didn't do them because he wanted to.
What Nora didn't know though was that when she and Ruxie were busy with their science experiments on Fridays after school, Ryan would sneak into the swim center to watch Drew from the bleachers. It made him feel like a thief in the night, hiding from his friends so he could satisfy his need to see Drew. But he didn't particularly hate it, especially not when Drew's eyes met his last Friday.
He was planning to do so again this last Friday of October when Nora and Ruxie rushed to his art class just when the bell rang to indicate closing time.
"We got out early today!" Nora announced, happy with the fact that she didn't have to do more work that afternoon.
Ryan looked up at them with raised brows as he packed his brushes into his pencil case. "Did you guys intentionally finish your work early just to watch Drew?" He rolled his eyes.
"Don't look at me," said Ruxie. "I'm just glad I get to see Alex earlier than expected," they said, smiling widely at the mention of their partner.
Ryan sighed and shook his head. "I'm going home early today so...," he trailed, already trying to come up with a lie so he didn't have to go.
It wasn't that he didn't want to watch Drew too. He just didn't feel like listening to his best friend gush over the boy again and again when his heart was hurting. He knew that Drew would never be his, and when Nora made a move, it would all be over.
Ryan hadn't even considered that Drew would reject his friend, and why would he? Nora was beautiful, Ryan had to admit. She was everything a man wanted in a partner. She was charming, caring, funny, quite thoughtful about others when she wanted to, and drop-dead gorgeous. If Drew found her attractive in the least bit, there was no way he would reject her and that scared him.
And Ryan hated feeling that way.
Nora didn't deserve that.
"Oh come on! There's so much eye candy," Nora pouted. "Lots of shirtless guys will be there and I think one of Drew's friends was watching you the last time we went," she said, trying to convince him.
Ryan shook his head, ready to stand his ground and avoid getting hurt again. Plus, with the way Nora was acting, he was absolutely sure that she was planning on setting him up with the person who was apparently watching him.
Ryan had no idea who it was because he didn't notice any other person at the swim meets other than Drew. But now that he thought about it, he did realize that if he paid attention to the other guys, he could very well be able to get over his crush and actually find a meaningful relationship.
What if Drew likes you though?
Ryan bit his lip. His subconscious couldn't be right this time, could it? There was simply no way that Drew liked him if he had been watching Nora all this time. Perhaps the brown eyed senior was just too scared to ask her out, just as she was shy to talk to him.
"Come on, it'll be fun!" Nora almost whined and Ryan lifted his gaze from her to Ruxie who just chuckled and gave him a look that said it was better for him to agree.
They were right because if Ryan refused a third time, there was definitely going to be incessant questioning from Nora and he didn't want that.
He sighed. "Okay fine, I'll come. I just have to go to the bathroom first," he told her and that was enough to satisfy her.
Once Nora and Ruxie left his class, Ryan finished packing his things and went to the boys' bathroom to freshen up and calm himself. He went to the sinks first and splashed some water on his face before taking out with handkerchief to wipe off the water.
"The fuck?" He whispered in disgust when he saw what the mirror reflected on the door behind him.
It was written in black ink, an insult to people like him and it made Ryan's heart sink to his stomach. While bullying and harassment weren't completely eradicated in the school, it was quite rare to see something so insulting and offensive out in the open.
He was horrified that someone would even do such a thing, especially in this year when progressiveness was on the rise. Ryan shook his head as he took out his phone. He meant to take a photo as evidence for when he reported it at the club.
He was still looking at his phone when he walked out of the bathroom, only to bump into someone walking in. His phone fell to the ground just as the door closed behind him.
He instantly squatted to pick it up, not seeing that the person he bumped into also went down to help him and they both grabbed the phone at the same time, their hands touching.
Ryan lifted his gaze and was met with Drew's brown eyes staring at him softly. His eyes widened as he let out a soft gasp, getting up to his feet immediately and taking a step back.
"Oh... sorry. I... I wasn't watching where I was going," he blurted out.
He's right in front of me!
Ryan's mind went into a flurry. So many thoughts echoed in his mind, bringing up all the things he wanted to say to Drew. But for the life of him, he couldn't get a single one of them out, not even his name. All he could do was focus on the lightness of Drew's eyes, the way his long lashes flicked as the boy's gaze moved up and down. His hair looked shiny, as if he had just combed it out. And his clothes... the way they hugged his body and showed off those muscles that Ryan wanted to feel under his palm.
It wasn't even an extraordinary piece of attire. Drew was just wearing a black T-shirt and khaki shorts with black sneakers but he still looked amazing enough to make Ryan's heart beat rapidly in his chest. He watched on silently with anxious breaths as Drew looked at him carefully... almost longingly if Ryan had to admit. It was almost as if Drew was checking him out, but that couldn't be true.
Drew was straight!
"You're Ryan, Ryan Huff, right?" His name rolled off Drew's tongue with such ease it made Ryan feel lightheaded.
Drew knows my name?
For a moment, it seemed Ryan had lost the ability to communicate. He stared at Drew with wide blue eyes and mouth wide open, almost shocked that the person who occupied his thoughts on occasion knew or had a slight idea of who he was.
Unable to form a coherent thought, Ryan could only gaze helplessly as Drew frowned, probably confused as to why Ryan's brain had failed him. He was a clever guy, well, sometimes but it seemed he had turned into a mess as soon as he heard Drew speak his name.
He thinks I'm a fucking idiot!
Drew frowned as he waited for an answer from the short blonde boy. He bit his lip, holding in a chuckle. He hadn't expected Ryan to look so alarmed. Not wanting to stay for a minute longer since he was quite busy, Drew waved a hand in front of him and shook Ryan's shoulder with his other hand which snapped the blond boy back to reality.
"No... I mean yeah. Ryan is me. I am Ryan. Hi," he blurted out with a squeak that got him blushing to the tips of his ears. Fucking calm down, he scolded himself. This isn't you! Fix yourself!
Drew chuckled at Ryan's words and it only worsened the boy's blush.
"Cool. Sorry about your phone. You should really get a screen protector and cover though," he advised as he handed Ryan the phone, watching silently as Ryan looked down at the device.
"I'll um... consider it," Ryan said softly. It hadn't cracked or anything, but he knew Drew was right. He had been planning to get a phone cover for some time now but just hadn't found the right time to do so.
"Cool. See you around," Drew stated softly.
Ryan expected him to leave then, but weirdly enough, Drew stayed for a moment longer. His eyes traveled up again to meet Ryan's gaze, but he said nothing.
Then he smiled. It was the kind of smile that made Ryan feel mushy inside, it sent tingles down his spine. The way his full lips turned upward, showing off a pretty set of pearly whites, and the sparkle that shone in his eyes when he smiled, it all made sense to Ryan.
Without a word, Drew stepped by Ryan and entered the bathroom, closing the door behind him. Ryan let out a sharp gasp once the doors clicked shut. He held his hand to his chest, pressing gently as his face reddened. What the actual hell? He asked himself.
He had no idea what happened, and something in him wanted to follow Drew and ask him what that was about, but he couldn't. Drew was just being polite and Ryan couldn't invade the boy's personal space. He tapped his face gently a couple of times, took in a few deep breaths to calm himself down, and went ahead to the swim center.
I need to chill out. He told himself as he neared his friends.
"Hey," he whispered in greeting as he took a seat behind Nora and Ruxie. They nodded in acknowledgment and Nora pointed towards Drew who was standing at the other end of the pool with two of his friends.
"You okay?" Ruxie asked him, noticing how flushed he looked. Ryan simply smiled at them and nodded. He couldn't let it out now. He definitely couldn't tell his friends that he was flushed and slightly embarrassed because he met Drew.
"You see that guy there? With the blond and black hair next to Drew?" She asked a few moments later when the swim team entered the room.
Ryan looked up to see Drew walking into the swim center with a guy with the exact hair color Nora mentioned, split in the middle. He had seen him before, many times in fact. He was one of Drew's friends and classmates but Ryan had no idea who he was.
"That's Zane. Drew's best friend... well, his other best friend," she informed.
"What do you mean?" Ruxie asked. They also had no idea who he was since they weren't as interested in Drew's life as Nora was.
"Well, from what I heard, Drew has one best friend that he's very close to, Cain. Zane is their other friend but not as close as Drew and Cain are."
Ryan nodded, surprised that he didn't know this. He had heard the name Cain before but he really couldn't put a face to it, not even if he was held at gunpoint.
"So where's Cain then?"
"I'm not sure... he hasn't been in school for about a month and no one knows why," Nora said, her face becoming solemn all of a sudden.
"Not even Drew?" Asked Ruxie, surprised by what their friend said.
"I think he does but he hasn't told any of their friends."
Ryan nodded as he took in the information. He bit his lip and glanced toward Drew again. The boy had moved to the edge of the pool now with his friend, Zane and they seemed to be in a deep conversation. Whatever it was, it had to be serious because even from where he sat, Ryan could see the solemn expressions on both Drew and Zane's faces.
"Anyway," Nora continued with a lighthearted wave. "Zane's the guy I was talking about," she stated as she smiled at Ryan.
"What?"
"I think he might be into you and maybe you should talk to him."
Ryan immediately shook his head. "You can't know that for sure," he insisted.
"It wouldn't hurt to try...," Ruxie said in agreement with Nora which only annoyed Ryan further.
There was no way Zane could be into him. Hell, this was the first time Ryan was even hearing of him, so what made Nora think that this guy somehow found him even remotely attractive? Ryan had no idea. But he sure as hell was not going to humor her by talking to him.
Not when he had finally interacted with Drew.
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