“Aw, damn,” I mumbled as we lost another round of the game Oliver suggested to play. It was a zombie shooter-like game, where the enemies would come in waves, doubling their difficulty with each level cleared. “I’m really bad at this.”

It didn’t help that I was also not the biggest fan of scary things, zombies, or anything of that sort. 

“It’s my fault,” Oliver responded. We laid on his bed, next to each other, controllers in our hands. “I should have picked a different game. Sorry.” He turned his console off, and placed both of the controllers onto the nightstand beside him. 

“I’ll buy some games we can play together,” he whispered, and immediately, my lips curled up into a smile, and I nodded, already looking forward to it. 

“It’s already five,” Oliver added, looking over at me with wondering eyes. In a shy whisper, he added, as if he was sad about the time having passed so quickly: “Time flew.” 

“Right…?” 

As Oliver observed me, I watched him gulp. In a giggle, I tilted my head to the side, but then, he averted his gaze. “I’ll take a shower real quick, and then, we can go to your party.” I watched as Oliver pushed himself off the bed, never, ever, looking at me again. 

“Okay,” I responded in a smile, only for his ears to turn redder. He fled out of the room, and only seconds later, I could hear the shower raining water down into his bathroom — and I was left alone, in Oliver’s room, with nothing to do and nothing to think, simply too nervous. 

I squirmed around on his bed, dug my face deeper into his pillow, a grin ever stuck on my face. 

“It feels like we’re a real couple,” I mumbled into the pillow, kicking my feet, and pressing my face deeper into the soft sheets. 

Until Oliver returned, all I did was take in Oliver’s scent, and try my best at calming myself. It took Oliver a good fifteen minutes to come out of the shower, and as soon as I heard his steps heading for his room, I rushed up into a seated position, only for the view I was given to completely numb my mind. 

If I didn’t know any better, blood could have shot straight out of my nose. The pressure that built inside my body was too much to handle, and I exploded, redness dominating my entire head. I dropped back onto the bed, covered my face, but after images of Oliver reigned within even my closed eyes. 

Water dripping off his short hair, down onto his shoulders, only for it to trickle down his shining chest. A white towel, wrapped around his hips, was all he wore. His abs glittered against the sun that poked through his blinds, and he hadn’t fully dried his body yet, making it all shimmer so beautifully, turning all his muscles all the more visible. 

“What is it…?” Oliver asked me as he noticed me shuffling back and forth, hands pressed into my eyes in embarrassment. I was sure he already knew, of course he knew, how could he not? Did he do this on purpose, always showing me his body, knowing how much I loved it? 

“N-Nothing—!” 

I listened to Oliver stepping through his room, back and forth, and eventually, I heard his towel drop, making my heart race all the higher. 

Don’t look, don’t look, don’t look, I told myself, but I wanted to look so, so, so bad! Did Oliver have no shame, running around completely naked in front of me? Wasn’t he shy? Was he pretending to be, just to keep surprising me like this?

Was he that sure of his body? 

I barely understood a thing, and at some point, I couldn’t handle it any longer, and I lifted my hands off my face, turned towards him, and …

Sighed. He’d already slipped into a pair of jeans, and my heart calmed, but also, it didn’t, because now, as he reached for his perfume inside his closet, I got to see his back muscles, his lats and shoulder blades, and those beautiful broad shoulders on full display. 

Silently, I watched him, gnawing on my fingers, completely losing myself in that sight. 

Only once I heard keys at the main entrance of Oliver’s apartment, and the steps that followed, did I rush up and look away. Only a few moments later, Oliver’s mother peeked through the door frame, noticing me almost immediately. 

“Oh. You have a visitor.” In blue scrubs, she looked into the room. Her hair tied up into a long ponytail. She had beautiful, blond hair, and green eyes, and didn’t look anything like Oliver, except, perhaps, for how tall she was, and how tall Oliver had become. 

“Hi, mom,” Oliver mumbled.

“I’m Finn,” I introduced myself with a shy smile. “Um—We—We go to class together.” 

“Oh, that’s nice. I’m glad you’ve made some friends in your new class, Oliver,” she smiled, only to step into the room and ruffle through Oliver’s hair as he searched for a shirt to wear. 

“What are you getting all dressed up for?” she chuckled, and even for her, him wearing jeans must be a rare occasion. 

Oliver hesitated to answer, grumbling, instead. “… A party,” he whispered eventually, and his mother’s gaze flickered away from him and towards me, and back to Oliver.

“A party?” It sounded as if she didn’t like to hear those words out of Oliver’s mouth, skepticism dominating her right away. She crossed her arms before her chest, and Oliver avoided her gaze. 

“It’s just a birthday party,” I chimed in, stuttering. “F-For me. It’s just a small party with some classmates…” 

“Oh, is that so?” Oliver’s mom’s smile returned. “Congratulations, Finn. Happy birthday! What, eighteen now? That must be exciting.”

I nodded, suddenly feeling embarrassed and shy. 

“Well, alright, then. Have fun, you boys, and Oliver, you know the rules.”

“Yeah,” Oliver sighed. “I’ll be back by midnight.” Satisfied to hear that, Oliver’s mom left the room, waving me goodbye once more before disappearing into her own. 

“Your mom seems nice,” I mumbled as Oliver slipped into his t-shirt. “Is she a doctor?”

Oliver nodded as he came to sit beside me to put on his sneakers. “A surgeon. You can ask her for help to get into college, or if you have any questions.”

I blushed. He remembered, in that one instance where I cleaned up his wounds, that I’d mentioned wanting to be a doctor. 

“And what about your dad?” I asked, only to wish I hadn’t right after. The eyes with which he looked at me darkened instantly, only to avoid me completely. A cold shiver ran down my spine, as if I’d just gotten a sneak peek into the Oliver from a year ago.

Loudly, he exhaled through his nose, making me wonder whether he was angry. Instead of answering me, got up from the bed, walked over to his nightstand, and reached for his wallet. 

“S-Sorry, Oliver. Maybe I shouldn’t have—“

“It’s fine,” Oliver interrupted me in a deep scratch, tucking his wallet into his jeans. “He’s just … out of the picture, that’s all.” 

“I see…” 

“Let’s go,” Oliver whispered. “You don’t want to be late to your own party.” But he didn’t look at me as he walked past, and I followed, quietly, chewing on the inside of my cheek.

Was he upset? I should have kept quiet, right? My damn curiosity, always getting the best of me… 

I didn’t mean to sadden Oliver, or to ask things he didn’t want to talk about, and I regretted it all. 

Silently, we walked across the streets, headed for Matt’s home, and only halfway did his mood lift ever so slightly. 

“Matt told me I should bring a crate of beer,” Oliver mumbled, pointing at the grocery store we just walked past. We were only a few minutes away from Matt’s house, and this was the closest store to his address. “Is that okay with you?” 

“I don’t mind,” I said with a smile. “Matt wants it to be a real party, I guess.”

“But if you don’t want it, then …” 

“I just won’t drink it. I don’t really like the taste, anyway.” 

“Okay.” 

Inside the store, Oliver asked me multiple times if I wanted anything, and even after repeatedly saying I didn’t, he bought me a bag of gummy bears, which he carried together with the crate of beer, his arm muscles shown off as he did. He didn’t struggle at all, carrying the whole case, and it felt silly to offer him any help. It’s not like he needed it, anyway. 

“Are you sure they won’t mind?”

“What do you mean?” I asked as Oliver’s gaze darted through me, sudden insecurity flashing within. 

“You know … me being there.” 

“They won’t,” I reassured him, smiling brightly. “And even if they do, who cares? It’s my party, and I want you there.” 

Finally, Oliver’s good mood returned as he heard me say those words with such certainty. A smile appeared on his handsome face, and I stared, couldn’t get enough of it, and almost, almost did I wish we could have stayed in his room, all night long, just kissing, and playing games, and talking. 

“You’re seriously so handsome,” I whispered, rather to myself, but as we walked so close to each other, there wasn’t any room for misunderstandings or anything of that sort.

His ears twitched right after I said it. “Stop it…”

Giggling, I observed him from the side, watched in real time how his ears changed color, and too soon, we arrived at Matt’s house.