Jack and Kyle - Part 5

As Kyle slammed the bathroom door behind him Jack bit his lip, frowning in confusion. What had he said wrong? Maybe Kyle was still mad at him because he had kissed him. Or maybe Kyle didn’t want to be around him because of it. Jack’s crystal blue eyes started to prickle with tears and he blinked furiously for a few seconds to stop them from rolling down his cheeks, he was determined not to cry over this. If Kyle was angry at him it was his own fault for being so stupid in the first place. Why couldn’t he have just kept his feelings to himself, he thought furiously.

Ten minutes elapsed then fifteen and Kyle still hadn’t reappeared from the bathroom. With every second that passed Jack lost the nerve to wait and talk to his best friend to try to straighten things out. His body felt stiff from standing in the same position so long and he rubbed the back of his slender neck with his hand trying to relieve the tension. He walked into his bedroom and began to undress slowly, deciding to sleep. At least that way he wouldn’t be thinking about Kyle.

Kyle shivered; the tiled bathroom floor was cold and his body beginning to feel numb. But he didn’t bother to move straight away, he couldn’t. He felt the crushing disappointment wash over him again and he wrapped his arms around his torso as if he was trying to hold himself together. The cold was starting to seep into his body now and Kyle forced himself to his feet. He unlocked the bathroom door and left the room, trying to make as little noise as possible. He was about to enter his room when he noticed Jack’s bedroom door was still slightly open. Kyle couldn’t resist taking a look through the crack and he saw Jack was in bed, sleeping on one side as he always did with the covers pulled up around him.

Kyle hesitated for a second the pushed open the door. He softly padded across the carpet to the left side of the bed which Jack was sleeping on. A faint smile tugged at the corners of his mouth when he looked down at his best friend. He looked so innocent and beautiful; his dark lashes fluttering in his sleep and his soft cheeks flushed a light pink. Kyle reached out a hand and gently brushed his fingertips across Jack’s cheek before forcing himself to turn and walk out of the room. The darkness made it difficult to see but Kyle felt his way through to the living room and lay down on the couch. He didn’t feel like going to bed and so he flicked on the television, not caring what channel it was on. An old film Kyle didn’t recognise was playing and he paid no attention to it. Before long he couldn’t keep his eyelids open and he dropped off into a deep sleep still holding the remote, the television flickering in the background.

In the morning Jack padded through to the kitchen quietly. He had already taken a shower and was fully dressed in tight fitting dark blue jeans, a black shirt and a pair of black and white checked Van’s. Out of the corner of his eye h noticed Kyle asleep on the couch. He smiled and carefully sat down on the arm of the couch and gave Kyle’s forehead a gentle kiss. Kyle’s eyelids flickered open and he yawned, looking up at Jack. “Morning baby,” he sighed, momentarily forgetting what had happened the day before.

“Morning,” Jack smiled at him, brushing Kyle’s hair back from his forehead with his fingertips. “Did you sleep okay?” He frowned slightly, trying to fathom out why Kyle had slept in the living room rather than his own bedroom.

“Yeah, fine. I guess I fell asleep here huh?” Kyle chuckled softly to himself and nodded to the television which was still switched on but now it was showing soap repeats. He laid his head back and looked up at Jack. “Did you?”

Jack nodded, still tenderly playing with Kyle’s hair. “I forgot to tell you yesterday, Hayley rang, she wanted to know if you’d written that economics essay ‘cause she hasn’t and she wants you to give her a hand with it.”

Kyle rolled his eyes but he was smiling. “I’d better give her a call then. I’m gonna be in college all day. What are you doing tonight; I was thinking we could go out?” Kyle yawned again, shifting lower on the couch.

“Sure, I have work but I’ll be home around six I reckon. See you then?” Kyle nodded and Jack stood up. “I better get off,” he glanced at the watch on his left wrist and sighed.

Kyle laughed and raised an eyebrow. “Jay Jay, you get to spend all day taking photographs of pretty girls and hot guys, why aren’t you raring to go? I bloody would be!” Kyle shook his head and stuck out his bottom lip.

“It’s not as glamorous as it sounds Kye,” Jack shrugged nonchalantly but he couldn’t help smiling when Kyle used that nickname. “See you tonight,” he ruffled Kyle’s hair playfully, picked up his keys and walked out of the flat.

Kyle smiled as he watched Jack leave, relieved that things weren’t strange between them. But despite that he knew he wanted more than just friendship and he knew he couldn’t go on pretending much longer. Kyle sighed heavily and switched off the television. He got to his feet and walked into the bathroom to take a shower. When he was done, Kyle pulled on the first items of clothing he picked out of his wardrobe a he always did, a black pair of skinny jeans and a white t-shirt with a random red emblem on the chest. He frowned at his reflection and ran a hand through his hair to mess it up Even though Kyle wasn’t particularly bothered by his appearance he always managed to look good. Kyle shrugged and began to search for a pair of shoes that belonged to him; he seemed to accumulate a lot of clothes and shoes that weren’t his. Maybe they belonged to friends or simply people who had left things behind the morning after, he had never really thought about it. Finally after he tugged on his shoes, he grabbed his car keys and hurried out of the door. He was going to be late again which would lead to another lecture from his teacher. Kyle didn’t really care about getting into trouble, he just wanted to pass his exams and get out of college as soon as possible. There wasn’t anybody around who was going to be mad with him for not doing well in school but Kyle wanted to do it for himself.

Kyle had already been home for at least an hour before Jack came in from work and he got up when he heard his best friends key in the lock. Kyle bit his lip and forced himself not to rush to the door, he’d been thinking about Jack all day and now he was desperate to see him. Jack dropped his bag by the couch and Kyle immediately pulled him into his arms for a hug. “Hi,” Jack giggled softly and wrapped his arms around Kyle’s waist, hugging him back tightly. “Miss me?” He joked.

“Yeah...” Kyle mumbled into Jack’s shoulder, still hugging him. He closed his eyes for a moment, breathing in the familiar scent of Jack’s aftershave. He reluctantly let go and half-smiled at Jack. “Good day?” He asked, raising one eyebrow in question.

“Well lots of hot guys not wearing much.... Yeah it was a good day.” Jack laughed and hit Kyle’s shoulder playfully. “Jealous?”

“Nah, I have the hottest one right here,” Kyle grinned and grabbed Jack by the shoulders, pushing him onto the couch and sitting astride him with one knee either side of Jack’s legs. He laughed and kissed the tip of Jack’s nose. “It sounds like your day was better than mine by a mile!”

Jack smiled and hoped it didn’t show on his face just how much he loved Kyle being like this with him. “Do I get to have a drink or are you just gonna sit on me all evening?” Jack asked, giving Kyle his puppy dog eyes look.

“Don’t pretend that you don’t like it,” Kyle winked cheekily. He got up to get two beers from the fridge. He handed one to Jack and sat down on the same couch, leaning against him. “So any of these models caught your eye yet then?”

Jack shook his head, taking a gulp from his can. “They’re hot, obviously, but just not what I’m looking for...” Jack bit his lip, Kyle was exactly what he was looking for but there was no way he could say that. “So how are you and Max doing?” He asked, not looking at Kyle.