Not Who You Thought (BxB Drama-Romance)

Good Boy

Now

Trigger warning; sexual content and a lot of drama

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"Hey." I stand on my front step and my words come out jumbled. "What are you up to?" My fingers feel sweaty, and they're slipping around my phone while I hold it to my ear.

"Uhh." Charlie sounds like he's out of breath. "I'm at the skatepark."

"Oh, just hanging out?"

"Yeah," he says, pausing before echoing my own words, "Just hanging out."

"Do you want to hang out with me?" I swallow hard. "Like, I was thinking about getting a pizza. It's really nice out, maybe we can put a blanket out on the beach and watch the sunset."

Charlie is quiet on the line. I imagine him balancing on his skateboard while it slowly rolls underneath his weight. It's the beginning of golden hour and I can picture in my mind what he looks like bathed in the dying light. I know the way it lightens his irises, gives his skin a warm glow and makes his hair catch white fire.

"Sure," he finally says. "That sounds nice."

"I'll get peppers, onion, and mushrooms."

"Are you eating vegetables you don't like for me?" He chuckles, and I can't help but smile to myself.

"Yes," I admit. "I guess that's what's happening."

"They're good for you." He always tells me this about the vegetables I don't want to eat. "When are you going to be here?"

"I'll pick you up in fifteen minutes?" I wait, a strange nervousness coming over me. "I was thinking about you all day. I'm glad we're hanging out tonight."

"Oh," he says softly.

"Sorry." I jump down a step, my feet landing with a slam on the next one down.

"It's cool Lucas," he says easily. "I'll see you in fifteen."

It's the kind of weather where the humidity is so dense that it makes your skin feel sticky. All-day I had been working in the air conditioning, and as soon as I left work I was punished by the oppressive heat. Thankfully now as the sun sets it's cooling off a bit, and my shirt isn't clinging to my skin like it was before I showered in an attempt to not be gross for Charlie.

I drive with the windows down, letting the wind blow through my car. I listen to music that I hope will hype me up so that I feel less shitty, and by the time I'm parking on the curb by the skatepark, my mood is uplifted. This evening is going to be great, everything is good, all is fine. I'm going to eat pizza with Charlie and I'm going to say "I love you" and then...

I sit in my car and think Charlie isn't there, because there is only one skater braving the heat to do ollies on the cement. My brain scrambles with an explanation of why he would lie to me when I realize it is him. I can see his bare arms flail while he tries to flip his board and it goes rolling away from beneath him. He throws his arms up in exasperation at the board and starts to chase it down.

Charlie isn't wearing long sleeves. Without them, he is almost unrecognizable.

Instead of calling out to him, I get out of my car and lean against it, watching him for a few minutes. He rights the board and I watch while he crouches low on it before jumping, the board flipping beneath his feet. I think he's going to eat it, but his feet meet the surface of the board and he lands neatly upright on it. It's the perfect kickflip; I realize with a pang that I didn't know he had gotten this good over the spring and summer.