AN: Only a few chapters left! Please don't hate me too much for this one... or the next one.... 

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It was easy to fall back into the old pattern. They still studied together but all Travis had to do was make other plans for the evenings. Easy as that, they could meet up for an hour at lunch but after school he'd promise Brad that he'd go to the gym with him or he'd end up at Cal's playing video games.

Nearly a week in and Jared insisted that they study together. His hands were down Travis' pants the second they were alone in his room, lips locked onto his neck and Travis couldn't bring himself to stop it, even though that was the rule.

He ended up at school the next day with hickeys all over his neck and the fierce desire to bury his face in the sand every time his eyes met Jared's.

After that, avoidance came a bit easier.

The problem of course was that Travis wanted to be around Jared. They were friend's, after all. He just didn't know how to call their little arrangement quits. He was just hoping that somehow Jared would get the idea.

Jared was leaving anyway, better to get use to his absence now.

"Hey." Jared nudged Travis, surprising him as he walked through the school doors in an attempt to get home as quick as possible and hide in his room until the year was over. 

"You wanna come over?" Jared asked. 

Jared was always the smart one. Where his moody silences did nothing but confuse Travis on more than one occasion, there was something in Jared's eyes that made Travis believe that Jared already knew exactly what Travis was doing and why.

He searched for an excuse, unable to say yes, watching as Jared's eyes clouded over more and more as the seconds passed.

A small hand wrapped around Travis' arm then, drawing his attention.

It was with an overwhelming rush of relief that he saw Lana staring up at him with a playful smile. The rest of his friends were behind her.

"We're going to Jeff's again," she said. "You can't say no this time."

Cal and Brad were grinning at him, using Lana as their dirty trick to get him to come. Obviously he wasn't going to say no to her again. Not today anyway.

"Yeah, okay," he said. Just like always, he could feel Jared's gaze on him like the sun through a magnifying glass. He managed not to look at him. Not even when Lana leaned around Travis and asked Jared if he wanted to join.

"No thanks," Jared said quietly and just like that, Travis was being pulled away.

Lana clung to his arm, happily. Everyone was talking and laughing. Travis joined in when he could but his thoughts kept pulling him back. Over and over he heard Jared's soft voice, what could only be described as hurt tainting it. Travis' eyes kept darting back toward the school.

Jared was nowhere in sight. 

Travis could catch up to him. Make some sort of excuse and then run after his friend, pretend he hadn't walked away. But this was what he wanted, he reminded himself. It was like pulling off a band-aid. It was better to stop being so reliant on each other now before Jared had to leave. Especially when there were other people who could step up to the plate. People like Lana.

Jeff's place was nice. The sort of place that people in movies trashed with massive parties. Travis was surprised that Jeff had never thrown one but guessed that his parents were probably strict. Either way, he pulled a few bottles of beer out of a fully stocked drink fridge and passed them around when they got down to the basement. 

Travis tried not to down it, but he was having trouble loosening up. Literally all he could think about was Jared and his sad, small voice.

"You seem really distracted," Lana said. He was leaning against the pool table, she had her hip propped against it next to him, watching him with her doe-like eyes. "Are you thinking about your girlfriend?"

Caught off guard, Travis frowned, noticing that everyone had gone quiet.

"I don't have a girlfriend," he said honestly.

"Really?" Lana asked. "I thought you might..."

Travis glanced around the room. She was hiding something and everyone but him seemed to know exactly what that was.

"Oh come on," Cal said, finally cracking and whacking his shoulder playfully. "Where'd all the hickeys come from?"

"And bite marks," Brad muttered under his breath.

Travis flushed, hands flying up to cover his neck. His face flushed red and he remembered, far too clearly, his back pressed hard against the door, head thrown back while Jared's teeth nipped him, hands slick with spit, jerking him frantically. He'd hid the marks for two days but there was only so long you could wear turtle necks for. He thought they were faded enough by now to go unnoticed.

At once, everyone burst into laughter, guffawing at his flustered reaction. Everyone except Lana, who bit the corner of her lip  and frowned up at him.

"Is it serious?" she asked.

"Yeah, who the hell is she?" Brad asked, dropping an arm over Travis' shoulders. "And why the hell haven't you told your best friend about it yet? I've been waiting."

Travis was about to retort that Brad wasn't his best friend, that his best friend had given him the marks, but his throat went dry, leaving him voiceless.

"It wasn't anything worth mentioning," he finally said.

"She go to our school?" one of the other girls asked.

Travis just shook his head.

"It was just a meaningless hookup," he said. "We didn't even have sex..."

The guys wanted more details, but Travis wouldn't budge. How could he?

Finally, Brad challenged him to a game of pool, and the subject was dropped.

The guys played a few rounds in teams and then, when it got too boring for Travis, who was a shit player to begin with, the guys played one-on-one and he sank into a beanbag chair to watch.

The girls were all sitting together, laughing and talking but Lana, her eyes were fastened to Travis the whole evening.

Eventually, as the buzz finally started to hit him on the fourth or fifth beer, she slid over to Travis and sank down onto the ground in front of him, leaning on his legs for support with her arms crossed atop his knees.

"So you're free?" she asked. 

Normally Travis appreciated forwardness from a woman.

"You mean single?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Yeah," he said.

She waited a beat, clearly expecting him to say something. When he didn't, she went on.

"I'm single too," she said.

Travis nodded and took a sip from his drink, knowing he was supposed to ask her out now. That was how these things worked. 

"No one's asked me to prom yet," she said, a finger trailing lightly up and down against Travis' thigh.

It felt nice. And she was looking up at him expectantly. And she was so beautiful...

"We should go together," he said.

She broke into a wide grin, eyes sparkling.

"Okay," she said. "Let's do it."

She laughed, excitement showing through and Travis found himself laughing too. Because her laughter was contagious and didn't suit her and he liked that. And also because of the absurdity of the situation. Since when did he have to be convinced to go out with a girl? Especially one that he'd always had his eyes on; one that clearly liked him and wanted him, no chasing involved.

Emboldened, Travis reached out a hand, sliding his fingers into the silky strands of her dark hair. He pulled her closer at the same time he leaned in. Her lips were soft and full, silky from chap stick or lip gloss and she parted them easily, leaning in to deepen the kiss.

Travis could hear one of the other girls giggling. Someone told them to get a room. And clearly that bothered Lana even less than it did him because she pulled apart long enough to climb onto his lap with a mischievous smile. She laced her arms around his neck and just like that, one curious kiss turned into a full on make out session.

Her pert bottom pressed against Travis' growing erection, shifting against him with the movements as they made out. Even better than that, his hands gripped her hips easily, inching slightly up her shirt, feeling the warmth of her skin.

This was even better than he'd thought it would be. It just felt so good to be able to touch someone. He'd never felt this free with Jared, not once. Why had it always been so uncomfortable?

His eyes snapped open at the thought and his lips, his body, everything stilled.

Why had he always been so guarded with Jared? he wondered. Why, from the start, did he think it was so bad to touch the other boy?

Lana pulled back, watching him oddly.

The guys were done playing pool. Everyone was sitting around chatting, and here Travis was in the middle of them, making out, like a tool.

"Came up for air?" Jeff asked. 

Lana laughed it off, not embarrassed in the least and Cal handed Travis another beer.

Travis drank it with Lana still plastered to his lap and right when he was considering asking for another, her cell rang and she looked at it with a sigh.

"My parents want me home." She looked at Travis hopefully. "Walk me?" she asked.

The thought of bailing early was a surprising relief and he nodded eagerly.

The night air was still quite chilly, frost forming on windows and glittering everywhere Travis looked; homes, cars, light posts, even grass.

Lana pulled his arm around her shoulders to keep warm and it was comfortable. She fit just right under his arm, not like Jared's wide shoulders. Jared had to hold his hand in place just so it wouldn't slide off. God, why was he comparing everything Lana did to Jared?

"We should go out this weekend," Lana said.

Travis nodded silently.

"Maybe a movie or dinner or something?"

She came to a stop and Travis realized that they were at her house already, just a few short blocks from Jeff's place.

"I'm glad you came tonight," she said and lifted up on her toes to press another soft kiss to his lips.

"Me too," Travis lied.

He watched her go, feeling oddly numb. Her kisses were nice. Warm and surprisingly tender, considering. Why was it that all he could think about was the desperation when Jared had managed to kiss him before? He could feel it radiating off of Jared in waves when they were together. Why was that? Because Travis gave him so little in return?

The walk home was long, Lana's house was far out of the way, but he barely even registered any of it before he was on his street.

Why was he so willing to feel the curves of Lana's body but not ever Jared's? Except that one time... 

Travis watched Jared's house as he approached it, remembering how he'd climbed into Jared's bed in Cuba as though it was the most natural thing in the world. He remembered how warm Jared had been, how soft his skin and how hard his muscles had felt as he'd explored the length of his body. But he had been drunk so maybe none of that mattered. He'd certainly buried that memory, brushing it off as just that and making their whole sexual "relationship" about himself getting off and nothing else.

Jared's bedroom light was on.

Travis tried not to look. He didn't want to obsess about this any longer--but then he glanced up and saw him there, sitting at his desk, writing something with a furrowed brow. As Travis watched, he sucked in his bottom lip in thought and for the first time, Travis regretted that he would never know what it really felt like to kiss him.

It was like a clamp crushed around his chest, making it hard to breathe. Every lost opportunity and moment of stubbornness that had held him back, flashed through his mind. Why had he felt so out of control and lost whenever Jared was involved?

Just then, Jared looked up. Maybe he felt Travis' gaze on him, maybe he'd been waiting, either way, he didn't look that surprised to see him standing there.

For a minute they watched each other, and then Jared looked down at his lap, shoulder's stooping and he pushed to his feet, visibly sighing. He walked out of view of the window and only when the light to his room shut off did Travis realize what a stalker he probably looked like.

Jared was probably mad at him anyway. Travis had blown him off, after all.

He turned to leave but then the front door suddenly creaked open, revealing Jared's silhouette.

He came forward, despite himself, not stopping until only a few inches and half closed door was in between them.

After a long moment, Jared sighed again.

"Get in here," he said. "It's freezing out there."

He pulled the door open enough for Travis to squeeze through.

Warmth engulfed Travis. He hadn't realized how cold he was until the heat touched his frozen skin. The house was dark, both parents were early risers and probably fast asleep already. 

Jared reached out, took both of Travis' hands in his with a shiver and rubbed them in his warm hands.

"You looked like a lost puppy out there," Jared said quietly. 

He sounded off, the usual light tone of his voice was absent, maybe because he was whispering, or maybe because Travis actually had upset him. Either way, Travis stood there, enjoying the way that Jared's warmth seeped through his skin, exposing pins and needles.

"My ears too," Travis said after a moment.

Jared blinked up at him for a moment and then a smile twitched his lips and he reached up, placing a warm palm on each of his ears.

Travis shut his eyes, sighing in pleasure.

"Are you mad at me?" he asked.

When Jared didn't answer, Travis opened his eyes. His friend's gaze was down turned but he shook his head.

"But if you don't want to hang out with me, you can just say so. You don't have to run off with just anyone."

"They're not just anyone," Travis said. "They're my friends."

"That girl isn't your friend."

"Lana?"

"I know who she is," Jared said.

They fell silent. Jared's hands drifted to Travis' cheeks, warming them next.

"My lips too." The words, when they drifted out of Travis' mouth, were barely above a whisper but Jared heard. 

His entire body stiffened, eyes wide, searched Travis' gaze, and then he took a small, trembling breath and inched closer.

Their lips brushed lightly, like a flint starting a spark. A shudder ran through Travis. Jared, still holding his face softly in his hands, leaned in closer, holding him in place, not letting him run this time.

Travis stood there, a complete wreck as his friend pressed their lips together, molded them into one, like they were meant to be that way from the start. Jared's lips moved, ravenous and starving for anything that Travis would give and this time, he was powerless to stop himself from giving. His lips moved of their own accord, just as hungry. His tongue pressed at Jared's mouth, delving into him, tangling with his tongue. Even his hands moved without him, clasping into Jared's shirt tightly, yanking him closer, and then his body too was gone and he shoved Jared back, all the way until he slammed into the wall and their teeth clacked together. But Jared didn't mind. He breathed harshly, his own hands tangling into Travis' hair, pulling him closer.

Travis' whole body was shaking, hands trembling, heart pounding, lungs gasping and Jared pushed him toward the stairs.

"Come on," he gasped, when Travis didn't budge.

Travis looked at Jared. At his marvelous green eyes, dilated and heavy lidded with arousal. At the pink flush in his cheeks and the red swollen lips and tousled, blond streaked hair. He was beyond perfect. 

Jared pressed their lips together briefly, passion in his every movement and then he pulled back just enough to say, 

"Come on, we can't stay down here. Come to my room."

He pushed Travis gently until the stairs were looming over him, Jared's warmth pressed supportively to his back. But his feet couldn't move forward. 

If they went up there tonight, there would be no coming back down from this. His whole body felt ravaged from one kiss. He couldn't deny how big it all was anymore, how overwhelming.

"We don't have to do anything," Jared said softly into his ear, as always, reading Travis and doing anything to keep him happy. But somehow that just made it all worse.

He pulled gently away from Jared, pushed his hands off of his arms and backed toward the door.

His back touched the door and he stood there, unable to look away from Jared's desperate, disappointed gaze.

"Stay," Jared whispered. "Please."

Travis shut his eyes.

"I'm sorry," he said.

And left.

THE END... 

AN: JUST KIDDING, JUST KIDDING! THERE'S MORE COMING! :P

I hope you liked this chapter! Hey, at least Travis is starting to get it a bit more...

Please vote if you likey! <3