I looked down at my watch for what might be the seventh time in the last ten minutes. I had clocked out of work about half an hour ago and had been standing in the rain, waiting for my ride to show up. The weather was not friendly tonight; the wind blew hard against my face and the cold rain drenched me.

I shuddered and hid my hands in my pockets, hoping to save any warmth left in my body. My hair was so wet it stuck to my face like glue. Every now and then when it got too much, I shook my head like a dog drying itself.

Normally, being let out early from work was exciting, but when I realized how much time was being wasted just waiting, it only made me feel depressed, especially because of how special tonight was. The last thing I wanted was to be late to my bestfriend's farewell party.

I thought of how angry Dorian would be if I missed the party. A party that was conveniently located in our apartment that we shared. He would name me the worst bestfriend of the entire world, officially. I could even picture his face, half serious and half humorous with that perfect white smile that he couldn't hide.

A car honked in the distance and my heart was brought back to life after the gloomy weather had drained me of any hope. Dark, but the truth.

For a second I wanted to wring my shirt before getting in the car, but Chance deserved to have his car flooded for making me wait so long. It was the least I could do.

I jumped into the passenger side when the car stopped in front of me. I shook my hair once I was seated and splashed everywhere.

"Really?" Chance said, sounding annoyed.

I looked back at him and pressed my lips together into a big, obnoxious smile.

"What took you so long?" I asked as I relaxed back.

Chance had an arm resting on the steering wheel and the other on his lap, telling me he had no intentions of driving away immediately. I also noticed he was wearing a suit, something that wasn't even in his closet. Our friend group always dressed like we were on a budget. The farewell party was important, but it wasn't formal. I was suspiciously confused.

"I had something to do!" he said defensively.

"Can we go?" I said, not pushing it. I slouched back on the seat and pulled my legs up, sitting in a way that made elders scowl at me.

"Lucian?"

"Hm?" I said, not looking at him as I became distracted by my phone.

"I haven't seen you all day," he said, his tone quiet and rather sad.

My attention went to him. He was watching me with innocent eyes. I also stared at him, watched how his skin glistened from the rainy day, but compared to me he was as dry as the Sahara desert.

He leaned over the armrest between us and kissed my lips. It only lasted a second before he pulled back and brought both hands back on the steering wheel.

"Hey," I said as the car began to move. "You look good."

He chuckled. "Thanks."

"What's funny?" I asked, smiling back at his reaction.

He shook his head. "Nothing."

"Weirdo," I muttered.

"Do you want to stop by my place first?" he asked, glancing down at my wet clothes.

"I don't know if I have any decent clothes there," I said, returning to my phone and scrolling through social media.

A couple of friends were posting about the farewell party. It wasn't going to be big, just a few close friends. We didn't have a lot of friends anyway.

Dorian and I were a special case. We started freshman year together in Lincoln High and clicked instantly. Dorian was the only black guy in the entire school, and to my knowledge, I was the only gay guy. Nobody wanted to partner up with either of us, so we'd always end up together. It was a small town filled with small minds. And honestly? I couldn't have been happier with how things turned out. I met one of the greatest people in the world and avoided joining the herd of sheep.

"I know there's something," Chance said. "You wore this nice outfit once when we went out on a date. Do you remember?"

"I don't recall."

"Well, it's in my closet. You could wear that?"

"Sure."

Chance's apartment wasn't too far from mine. It was a quick drive. He lived alone in a fancy five story building. His parents paid for all of his expenses — as long as he stayed in college. He was a freshman, so he had plenty of time to drop out once he realized how much it sucked.

I began to peel my clothes off as soon as we walked inside. Chance disappeared into his closet to search for the outfit and I went into the bathroom. I was supposed to get ready at my own apartment before the party started, but someone had to be late on picking me up.

It sucked relying on someone to drive you around, but my car broke down and died. There was no way to repair it without dropping a bunch of cash on it, only to wait for it to break again and waste more. I was saving up to buy a better one. Until then, Chance was my personal chauffeur.

An awful one.

The shower was quick and I stood in front of the bathroom mirror, staring at my reflection, wondering what I was going to do about my hair. Chance called it "pretty boy hair" because it made me look like a beautiful prince. It was somewhat long and usually tucked behind my ears. But other times it was a natural wild mess.

"Babe?" Chance said as he entered the bathroom

"Yeah?" I replied.

"Got your clothes."

"Lay them on the bed," I said as I picked up my toothbrush and brushed my teeth.

I decided on leaving my hair the way it was. A natural wild mess was also a good look for me. It really represented my state of being. My skin was smooth and clear. I had no facial hair to shave. I looked fine — ish.

"How was work?" Chance asked. He sat on the edge of the bed and watched me as I walked towards the clothes spread out on the bed.

Now that I saw them, I remembered the date. They weren't special clothes. I wasn't classy, more like trashy. Just a black, long-sleeved shirt and black ripped jeans.

"Boring," I replied. "It's boring all the time, Chance."

He sighed, knowing how I felt about everything in this tedious town. At least he understood me. I didn't need to explain myself with him.

Chance and I also met during high school. I was a senior and he was a freshman. I never once met him or mingled with his friend group, so most of the year went by without me knowing he existed. Chance on the other hand knew I existed, very much so. He had the biggest crush on me since the first time he ever saw me, which apparently was also his first day. I graduated when I was eighteen and he finished school early, at the age of sixteen. But it took him three years to grow the balls to contact me.

I understood why it took him long. He had been in the closet at the time. He knew how everyone treated me. To him it wasn't worth the social suicide. This town could really eat you whole if you let it. I hated it.

"I'm sorry," he said.

I sat next to him on the bed, still completely naked and wet. I grabbed the towel that laid on my shoulder and used it to dry my legs.

"I'm just gonna really miss Dorian," I said.

"I know."

Chance moved behind me on the bed and wrapped his legs around me, hugging me tightly and resting his head against my back. His hands locked around my stomach, close enough to my crotch that it sent warm tingles through my body.

"Can you go get the car?" I asked. "I'll get dressed quickly and meet you downstairs."

"Yeah, of course." He planted a kiss on my shoulders before getting up to leave.

I wasn't trying to get rid of him. This past week had been rough on me. I really felt like I was losing my brother. Dorian was moving away. He got a new job and it was an opportunity he couldn't miss out on. Unfortunately, it was all the way in California. The fact that I was going to be alone in this town made me feel more than just a little blue. This shit hurt.

I grew up in this town. It wasn't the best childhood. I had no idea who my father was and my mother died when I was young. My aunt took me in, but she was never prepared to raise a little boy. She was strange and was rarely home. In a way, I raised myself. I have been alone since I could remember.

This town didn't make it any better. There was nothing here. If you lived here, most likely you were a nobody, and you were going to die a nobody. Nothing ever happened and all it ever did was bring you down.

I shook the thoughts off my mind. I couldn't keep thinking about it. I'd only drown in the sorrow.

The clothes fit me nicely. I still didn't know why I chose the jeans with the ripped knees. Wasn't that tacky? I thought it looked good when I bought it, but I wasn't so sure anymore.

I checked myself out in the mirror one last time before heading out. My hair was mostly dry and looked decent. I looked good enough.

Chance was waiting in his car when I exited the apartment building. We rode in silence to my apartment. My place was a tad bit bigger than Chance's, but only because there were two rooms. One was mine and the other belonged to Dorian. We'd been roommates for two years now. Once he was gone, one of his friends was going to take his place.

I lived on the fourth floor of my building. We took the elevator up when the car was parked. It was a quiet Tuesday night. Most people were probably going to bed. They might not get any sleep though. The music was already loud and blasting through the halls when we left the elevator.

We hurried down the hall to find my front door wide open. I could see Dorian outside on the balcony, enjoying himself with a drink in his hand and a pretty girl in his other.

I closed the door when we entered. Hopefully no one reported the loud music. Most people in this building were chill and a little afraid of confronting other neighbors — because everyone was crazy.

"LUCIAN!" Dorian shouted, his voice muffled by the glass door.

I wasn't the type of person to greet people, so I ignored every single person in my living room. There were some I didn't recognize and I wondered if they let themselves in when the door was open.

"Wow," I said as Dorian opened the glass door and walked back inside. He was wearing a velvet tracksuit, looking like a delicious fruity dessert.

"I know," he said, smiling ear to ear. He turned around to show me the full outfit. "Like it?"

"My eyes hurt," I said.

His face went dead serious. "Bitch, look who's talking. Did you leave your style back in 2005's Hot Topic?"

My jaw dropped and I dramatically held my hand over my heart. "Stop, you know I'm sensitive."

He pursed his lips, holding back a smile.

"I think you look good," Chance said.

"Thanks, Chance. You look—" Dorian stopped when he examined what Chance was wearing. His face scrunched up and his eyebrows furrowed. "Like a school boy going to his first dance."

"Oh." Chance laughed to mask his disappointment.

"So how was the day with your parents?" I asked.

"It was okay. They were sad, but happy for me."

We moved to the kitchen to get some drinks. The red cups were already piling up on the counters and it annoyed me, especially when the trash bin was right where everyone could see. I cleaned up a little as Dorian made us drinks. We spent a few minutes talking, drinking happily, enjoying the last moments with my bestfriend.

He smiled all night long, but I saw through it. This was a big moment for him and his future was bright, he knew this, however, he was losing people he had known for years. He was used to seeing his parents everyday, his co-workers and his friends. He'd no longer wake up on the same bed under the same roof. His hunger would no longer be satisfied by his favorite lunch from his favorite cafe down the block.

He kept up the energy all night, though. He entertained everyone, danced, and at one point even sung karaoke. While bodies danced and stomachs filled with alcohol, I sneaked away unnoticed and hid in my room.

My room was simple. The walls were white and the carpet was clean and gray. It had a square window with the view of a massive tree, so really no view. There used to be some game posters on the walls, but someone stole them. I had no idea how. I had a small desk cramped in the corner with a cheap laptop sitting on top and a half-finished energy drink.

The bed was extremely comfortable, a gift from Dorian's parents. I laid on it, spreading my limbs in an X position. I shut off the music from my brain and lost myself in my dark thoughts.

My peaceful moment didn't last long. Chance walked in and closed the door behind him. Judging by the look on his face, he knew that I wasn't feeling so great. He was weirdly good at reading people, even if he knew nothing about them. It was kind of a blessing, since it meant I didn't have to say it out loud.

It was a personal flaw. Feelings made me uncomfortable. I just didn't know how to handle most of them and I'd usually end up doing the wrong thing.

Chance walked in front of the bed and raised both of his hands out to me. I stared at him for a few seconds before I grabbed them and let him pull me up.

"I love you," he said when we were standing close.

"Love you too."

Chance was taller than me. He wasn't too skinny, but not too athletic either. He was one of those guys that had really good genes and naturally looked pretty, all the time. In school, he was the cute guy every girl wanted to be friends with, the one who would end up being the famous doctor with the good looks. At one point it made me self-conscious. I wasn't athletic with a six pack. I was just slim and pale, completely forgettable.

He smiled at me and grabbed my left hand.

"Good, because—" He dropped down on one knee and pulled out a black box from his pocket. Suddenly I could feel my heart pounding against my chest. My hands went numb and my breathing stopped. "I want this love to last forever. Will you marry me, Lucian?"

"What the fuck, Chance?"

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[Author's Message]: I am SO excited. This is my  brand new baby and I've been working on it for a while. Most people by now know me for writing long chapters, but with this story I've decided to change my style a little and write shorter chapters. This will help me write more and avoid getting lost in writers block. For those who are new here, hi hello welcome, my name is Seraphina, I am a trans girl and I write gay stuff sometimes. This is my first boyxboyxboy and I can't wait for this trio to take over. Please add the book to your libraries and don't forget to follow me to keep up with new updates and releases. Thank you a billion for supporting me <3

So, thoughts so far?