You Can't Choose (BoyxBoy)

Chapter Eighteen

Even though work on Sunday was a bit awkward, especially with Jake's excessive flirting and Collier's inability to not blush at every word the handsome boy said, Cole was dreading leaving.

Leaving meant going home, and home meant dinner with his mother, Ron, and then the usual people at his lunch table.

It was going to be miserable.

"You okay?" Jake asked him as they walked out of The Gallery that afternoon. Collier had insisted on staying a bit late to finish a portrait, and Jake, the gentleman he was, offered to stay with him. Petra seemed extremely grateful for this, since Collier had a tendency to forget to do things and sometimes forgot to lock the store after himself, and she had to leave early to attend an art show across town.

"I'm great," Collier said, though he grimaced at how false it sounded. Jake just hummed at the obvious lie. "Sorry. I'm really fine, or I'm going to be. It's just that, well, my mother's making me actually eat dinner in the dining room for the first time since Emerson and his father moved in with us. I'm just not really looking forward to it". And then, because Cole was more thinking out loud than having a conversation, he didn't spare a thought to saying, "at least Henry will be there though," until it was too late.

"Henry?" Jake asked and Collier glanced at him quickly to catch the other furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. "Henry Stone?"

"Yeah," Collier said after a short pause. It seemed a bit insensitive of him to bring up the boy he spent a good portion of his time kissing in front of the man who he had just rejected the night before without giving him a reason.

"Henry Stone is going to your family dinner?"Jake asked. "Is it because-"

Fearing what he would say next, Collier interrupted him. "We're kind of friends".

"-of Emerson," Jake finished and Cole winced.

"Oh". It was quiet as they got to the corner of the building, both of them slowing to a stop since that was there they parted and their conversation clearly wasn't over. "That's a big part of it as well".

"You're blushing," Jake observed, narrowing his eyes, which of course made Collier's cheeks flush an even darker shade. "What's going on between you and Henry Stone?"

"Nothing," Collier said quickly, but it came out too fast. "We're... it's complicated".

"So that's why you're not going out with me, huh? Henry Stone. I have to admit, I'm surprised by that. I never saw you with someone so... sullen".

"I'm not with him," Collier corrected and Jake just looked at him for a moment before shaking his head.

"It's absolutely none of my business," Jake said, and then, before Cole could react, the taller boy bent forward and pressed his warm lips against his cheek. "Have a good night, Collier".

***

When he got home, he was surprised to find Henry Stone sitting in the chair closest to the television. Cole didn't really know why he was surprised, when he glanced out of the front window, Henry's silver car was parked on the street and now that he had thought about it, he had noticed it on his way in, but still, the sight of the boy sitting in his living room startled him.

Henry looked very angry at the moment. He was leaning back in his seat, his head tilted slightly to the left so he could glare while heartedly and Emerson and Sarah, who were sitting on the couch alongside one another giggling.

Collier cleared his throat and all three of them looked up at him. Henry's expression softened.

Cole couldn't stop himself from noticing how good Henry looked. Typically, he wore t-shirts and dark colors, but for dinner, he had worn light blue jeans and a button down mint green shirt, which somehow made his eyes look very black.