"guys, he's coming," brendon announced, stand up quickly from his seat on the tree stump, which jenna quickly stole by sitting in it, "he's coming right now, i can't tell him yet, i can't tell him straight to his face. i just told him he was the most perfect thing in the room over text and it took me ten minutes, it's gonna take me ten years to tell him i have a burning crush on him to his face!"

ashley stood up and grabbed the still babbling brendon by his shoulders and quickly smacked him across the face, "brendon! shut up! just tell him what comes to mind!"

"but what if he rejects me, ash, you gay!" brendon said, panic rising in him. ashley gently slapped him again, to which brendon yelled, "holy shit, stop hitting me, it's not helping anything!"

"yes it is!" she yelled back, "it's getting you to stop thinking about what to say! just fucking say what comes to mind, dumbfuck!" 

brendon sighed and laid in the grass. max, who was seated at the bottom of a tree, stood up and made his way over to him. he kneeled next to him and began to speak, "brendon, she's right. you're over thinking this. just be like, 'hey ryan, i think you're adorable and i want to cuddle you and play with your hair and make you feel beautiful and maybe put my dick in your ass if you want.' it's not that hard."

brendon rolled over onto his chest and screamed into the ground. max playfully smacked him on the back of the head and made his way over to his seat under the tree. "i'm going to die alone!" brendon screamed into the dirt.

"you're not gonna die alone, you're never getting rid of us," alex shouted back.

"true," brendon groaned, rolling back onto his back, to be greeted with ryan's face inches above his.

ryan smiled at brendon, and brendon nearly fucking melted. "hi," ryan giggled.

"hey," brendon replied, trying to keep his cool, but he ruined it by blurting out, "you look beautiful today."

ryan's cheeks tinted pink and he hid his face in his hands, giggling violently. brendon's heart was pounding out of his chest, and while ryan was giggling into his hands, he looked to the group with eyes that read 'please help me or i'm going to jump in front of the train.'

"go for it," tay mouthed to brendon. 

"ryan, would you maybe want to go on date? perhaps on a walk around the neighborhood while we drank coffee?" he asked, almost immediately regretting it, because he was certain he was going to say no. ryan was going to say no and then everything between them was going to be awkward and-

"yeah, sure, that sounds nice," ryan smiled.

this was incredible! brendon beamed a smile, "tonight?"

"i'd love to."