AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Martha watched him for a long moment before sniffling. “Oh, I promised myself I wouldn’t cry, but you don’t know how much I needed to hear that. Thank you, Nick.”
Nick was confused. “For what? I didn’t do anything.”
She wiped her eyes. “Never you mind. Keep on being you, no matter what. That’s all I ask for.”
“I don’t know how to be anyone else,” Nick said honestly. “Warts and all.”
“I like what you call your warts. They’re part of the boy you are, and I happen to love that boy very much.”
“Oh,” Nick said, flushing as he shuffled his feet. “I—uh, I love you too?”
Wrong thing to say, seeing as how Martha hugged him tightly, her chest hitching once, twice before she pulled away, shaking herhead. “I’m happy he has someone like you. Protect each other. Care for each other, and you’ll never be left wanting.”
“We always do,” Nick said, ready for the explosion of parental emotions to be over. “Is he still upstairs? Do you want me to … go … get …wow.” The last word came out breathy and soft, a sigh that crawled from Nick’s throat.
Seth Gray stood at the top of the stairs, looking down at them, a question on his face as he glanced at his aunt. She waved him off, taking a step back, but she might as well have disappeared for all Nick knew, because everything disappeared—the sound of the people in the living room, the house itself, the city, the world. All that existed was Seth. Heart in his throat, Nick tracked every step Seth took down the stairs.
His slacks pulled tight against the muscles in his thighs, his suit coat buttoned up the front of his broad chest. His purple bow tie (Eggplant, Nick thought hysterically,such a gross food) matched the pocket square folded into the top pocket of the suit. His shoes were shiny, and Nick couldn’t think of a single phrase that didn’t involve something the adults in the room wouldn’t appreciate, seeing as how much of it was aggressively filthy. He watched as Seth’s curls bounced, the ends of which looked wet, as if Seth had just come from the shower.
Nick realized his mouth was hanging open as Seth reached the bottom of the stairs.
“Hi, Nicky,” Seth mumbled, looking down at the floor between them.
“Oh my god,” Nick breathed. “How dare you look that hot without a damn warning first. What in the actual hell are you doing withme?”
Seth chuckled as he glanced up shyly at Nick over the tops of his glasses, something Nick didn’t know was a kink of his until right this very moment. Seth seemed pleased, his cheeks reddening as he reached out and tugged on the lapels of Nick’s coat. “I’m with you because I want to be. And because you’re pretty hot yourself.”
“I won’t question your tastes then,” Nick croaked out. “BecauseI’m wearing a dead magician’s suit and don’t want to make you change your mind.”
“I wouldn’t,” Seth said. “Even though you’re wearing a dead magician’s suit.”
Nick knew it was almost time. Almost time to tell Seth everything he felt, everything that was practically bursting in his head and chest. Not quite yet, but soon. Tonight. When they were slow dancing, perhaps in a corner away from everyone else. He’d say those three little words that scared the hell out of him, but that he knew he felt down to his bones.
“Nick?” Seth asked.
“Sorry,” Nick said hastily. “Sorry. Just … thank you.”
Seth arched an eyebrow. “For what?”
“Existing,” Nick said honestly. “For being my best friend. For being my boyfriend. For being you.”
Seth laughed bright and loud, and Nick was entranced. He watched Seth lean forward until he was kissing him sweetly. Seth tasted like toothpaste. Nick was going to devour him.
It was only then that Nick saw the clear plastic box in Seth’s hand. Inside sat two violets held together by a pin and wrapped in a black band of satin. “Is that for me?”
Seth nodded, fumbling with the box, fingers shaking. “Yeah. Uh, the boutonniere, like we talked about?”
Nick panicked. “Right. Right. The boutonniere. Like we talked about. That one. I’ll …” Oh crap. Had he forgotten it? It was in the fridge, and he couldn’t remember if he’d taken it out. Dammit. Prom was going to be ruined because Nick couldn’t keep his head on straight, and Seth was going to be disappointed when—
Something was thrust into Nick’s hand, and he looked back and saw his father standing behind him, holding Nick’s backpack. Nick looked down, and there, in his hand, was a plastic box like the one Seth held.
“Thanks,” Nick said, breathing a sigh of relief. He lifted the box to pull the boutonniere out, but his hands were shaking too hard, and he almost dropped it. Dad and Bob appeared before he could stab Seth in the chest with the pin. Dad took the boxfrom Nick, Bob from Seth. Then they exchanged them, the plastic crackling. They pulled them out at the same time, and Martha stepped forward, taking the empty boxes. Nick heard everyone gathering in the entryway, but he couldn’t focus on them because Dad was in front of him, pinning the boutonniere against his chest. Bob did the same to Seth, whispering quietly to him, words just for them as Seth nodded, head jerking up and down.
When they finished, Nick was stunned to see Bob—grizzled, kind Bob—tearing up as he stepped back. “Look at you,” Bob said roughly. “You look like your father. I wish they could be here to see all that you’ve become.”
Seth smiled a watery smile. “Me too. But I’ve got you, so I think I’m doing okay.”
More tears fell from most of the adults in the room as they posed for photographs. The only personnotoutwardly teary was Miles, but even he had to blow his nose into a kerchief as Jo took pictures of Gibby standing behind Jazz, hands on her waist.
