Ethan scrolled through his phone, trying to watch his step and read tweets at the same time. He wondered if he was doing a very good job when he tripped and nearly fell onto the ground. The sound of female laughter rang in his ears and he turned to find Rachel clutching her stomach.

“Oh my gosh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to push you that hard!” She apologized half-heartedly, laughing at Ethan’s ruffled appearance. Ethan rolled his eyes and straightened.

“It seems like all the girls I know are too strong for their own good,” Ethan complained, falling into step with Rachel while rubbing his shoulder. “Or for my own good, actually.”

Rachel smiled, shrugging her shoulders.

“I do swim, remember, so that might contribute to-”

“My pain.”

“-my strength.”

The two of them paused before breaking out into laughter.

“Come on, I didn’t push you that hard, did I?” Rachel asked through another laugh, looking at Ethan hopefully. Getting revenge in the only way Ethan felt confident in at the moment, Ethan didn’t give her an answer.

Over the past several days of spending more time with Rachel, Ethan had gotten used to her soft voice and bubbly laughter that came out in the weirdest moments. Rachel was only one of many new friends Ethan made since last week. And, interestingly enough, it was all because of Aiden. 

Aiden and Aaron seemingly moved into a new phase of their relationship, creating more mutual friends. Because the table Ethan and Aiden used to share alone was mostly empty, there was plenty of space for more people. So, one day Ethan was surprised to one day find that Meaghan and River were being joined by the entire Deerhurst crew for lunch. 

Ethan sat down and was told by Aaron that he and Aiden wanted their friends to get closer together. That was the first day Ethan spoke to Aiden in almost two weeks. On top of catching up with his best friend, Ethan got reacquainted with everyone from the trip.

Including Chris Davis.

When Chris joined them, he plopped his firm bubble butt onto the seat right beside Ethan. This decision made sense as the seat was right in front of Aaron, it just happened to be directly beside Ethan as well. When Chris left to get his lunch that day, Aiden had been ballsy enough to lean forward and tell Ethan,

“It’s like a double date.”

Ethan snorted hard at that one.

Now, over a week later, Ethan was accustomed to that ‘double date position’ with Aiden in front of him and Chris beside him. Ethan and Chris talked at least once during lunch every day. Whether it was a conversation between the two of them or with others, they frequently shared their jokes and thoughts over damp sandwiches and slightly warm pasta. 

In the same way, Ethan got used to having Chris nearby before class and during lunch, he got used to Aiden and Meaghan’s embarrassing looks. It seemed as if every time he and Chris spoke, Aiden was smiling into his food and Meaghan was laughing about a joke no one could hear. They were subtle enough that no one else seemed to connect the dots, but it still made Ethan blush chronically.

Still, Ethan was happy. His circle of friends had grown exponentially and one person he could actually call his friend was Chris. Now, their nightly messages also included promises to bring snacks for the other during lunch or tell the other an important thing when they spoke in the morning.

Ethan never forgot about what he felt for Chris. His feelings were ever present, always there. He remembered them every time Chris nudged his shoulder while he laughed, every occasion where Chris couldn’t remember a word and shook his fist at the world, and every instance where Chris leaned in to whisper something for Ethan alone.

But, at least he got to spend time with him. 

Ethan held on to the time they spent together because their friendship would have to be enough.

—————

“But, it was the craziest thing because it was the last game of the series, game 7, and if the Raptors didn’t get the shot they would lose their chance to even try to beat the Warriors,” Chris said, trying to explain the importance of this shot to Ethan. 

Ethan’s parents were both nerds in their own right, so Ethan only cared about sports when it came to how it shaped a guy’s thighs and butt. Ethan had accepted the fact that it was specifically Chris' butt that had him interested in Rugby at all. So, it was a formidable feat to get Ethan to get excited about sports for more than their visual appeal.

Yet, Ethan could see the excitement in Chris' eyes and the anxious way he held his hands up, waiting for the moment Ethan got it. He didn’t want to disappoint him. So, Ethan listened and paid attention as Chris explained some of the biggest moments of the Raptors' journey in the Playoffs.

At the moment, Ethan was actually sucked in, waiting to hear how the Raptors managed to win a game that Chris described to be “as close as your left ass cheek is to your right one.”

“So Kawhi came raced across the court and-”

Chris' passionate retelling was interrupted by the ear-piercing sound of the bell. The sheer panic that appeared in Chris' eyes would have made Ethan laugh if he hadn’t been eagerly waiting to hear the end of the story.

“Oh f- I haven’t even gotten to the final series against Golden State!” Chris complained, throwing his bag over his shoulder as he stood up. Ethan did the same and the two of them began to take their trays to the proper bins. As they walked, Chris continued to complain about their situation.

“And I don’t have you in any of my other classes.” He continued. “I would have to try to text you the rest of the story and do you know how annoying it is to text out an entire story like that?”

Ethan began to laugh at how bothered Chris seemed about all of this. Chris was usually so relaxed, but this frustrated side was as funny as it was cute. Ethan decided to take a chance, seeing as Chris was so upset. 

“Do you want me to walk you to your next class?” Ethan asked slowly, holding on to his shirt for comfort as he spoke. “You could tell me the rest of your story.”

Ethan’s heart thumped away heavily in his head, filling his ears with its intense beat. He never would have gotten the courage to ask if Chris hadn’t seemed so eager to tell the rest of his story. Chris looked down at Ethan, a wide smile stretching out his lips. Chris didn’t say yes or no, he simply continued on with his story.

“Okay, so the clock was winding down and the Raptors were only one point behind. If Kawhi didn’t make this shot, they would lose the game.” Chris told Ethan, recapping what he’d said last. “Kawhi ran down the court and-”

For the next several minutes, Chris told Ethan about how the Raptors one that last game and some of the most memorable moments from their final as well. All the way up to their winning game. By the time he finished, Ethan wondered if he should begin to watch the sport.

The way that Chris described it made it seem so intense and entertaining that Ethan was on the edge of his seat. Figuratively, of course, because they’d been walking. But, as Ethan stared up at Chris, he realized it would be pointless. The entire time that he watched a game, he would be wishing that Chris was there, adding his comments and passionate reactions. Basketball seemed interesting to him because of Chris, Ethan realized. Chris really had a strong hold on him already.

“Are there other sports that you’re interested in?” Ethan asked Chris, catching the taller boy’s attention. “You know, other than Rugby?”

Chris furrowed his brows, looking down at Ethan with a puzzled expression.

“What, how did you-” Chris cut himself off when he remembered that during all of his practices, there had been someone in a baseball cap over blond hair sitting on the top bleacher. The rugby team got a few people watching during most practices so they never bothered the guy who never came down to say hi to anyone. Chris looked at Ethan’s blond hair before centering on his brown eyes. 

How had he never realized that guy was him?

Chris decided not to bring it up and focused on Ethan’s question instead.

“I like a lot of sports. I watch football and basketball mostly but most of the ones that come to mind, I’ve probably watched at least a match or two.” Chris answered, shrugging at his lame answer. He searched his brain for something else to say to Ethan, something better than ‘all of them’. “Actually, I’ve been getting into Volleyball a lot lately.”

Ethan perked up at that, his back straightening and his eyes growing wider.

“Volleyball?” Ethan asked suddenly, causing Chris to start. Once he was calm, Chris nodded.

“Yeah.” Chris looked at Ethan with a curious smile. “Why?”

“Well, I was on Facebook last night and I saw this ad about a public volleyball tournament. People from all over the city are going to Woodbine Beach tomorrow to play for a cash prize.”

Chris' dark brows shot up to his hairline and Ethan’s grin just widened.

“Really?” Chris asked, only to receive a bobblehead nod from Ethan. Chris looked down at the floor, a thoughtful look in his eye. Then, he suddenly set his piercing gaze back on Ethan, an excited smile on his face. “Why don’t we go together?”

Now Ethan was the surprised one, his steps faltering due to his shock. He came to a full stop and Chris stopped along with him.

“To compete?” Questioned Ethan. His brain was trying to come up with a logical reason for Chris to ask him, and that was the first thing that came to mind. Chris shrugged.

“Maybe.” Was his brilliantly informative answer. Chris had no idea how his simple question was affecting Ethan, but Ethan considered telling him so Chris wouldn’t answer like that. “We could compete if you want. I thought we could just go hang out, maybe eat something.”

Ethan nodded silently, using his nodding to give him time to get his voice back. 

“Sure.”

Then they were walking again and the conversation went to other topics. But, the entire time they walked and even after Ethan left Chris at his next class, Ethan couldn’t stop thinking about it.

He knew it wasn’t a date, he logically understood that completely, but his heart continued to beat in excitement. He was going out with Chris, just the two of them, and that was exciting all on its own. And, if Ethan toyed with the idea of it being a date, that would just have to be his little secret.

A dopey smile stayed on his face as he shuffled his way to his own class, Chris the only word playing in his mind.