By the time Kit had finished with his dad, went back to the dorm to put his things away and change, it was just after five. He figured it was too late for him to go out and meet up with them, but a message from Noah told him the exact opposite.

[Noah] We’re still at Hollenbeck! Bentley’s killing it. People are filming him. It’s crazy, man. You should come!

Kit wanted to go. He was interested in seeing if Bentley was even good at riding. He was practically throwing away his life to do this, so he better had been. But Kit also wanted to go so he could tell Bentley that his dad was offering him a place to stay. Hopefully, it wouldn’t seem like he was overstepping his boundaries.

He hopped on the bus, enjoying the ride across LA, and then walked for about 10 minutes until he found the BMX park. It wasn’t too hard – it was a park that looked like an obstacle course for skaters and riders, with people scattered around trying their hands at a new trick. Kit walked up the steps, barely dodging someone on a skateboard as they jumped past him, and shook his head.

This place was dangerous.

It wasn’t long before he found Noah and a boy that looked damn near identical to him. That had to be Jonah. The major difference was their hair; while Noah’s was long and dark, Jonah’s was short with a little green at the tips. The closer Kit got to them, the clearer it was to tell that Jonah was the badboy Fisher. He had a hoop in his nose, and several tattoos scattered across his arms. He wore the Rockstar look well. Kit had to hand it to him.

“Kit!” Noah shouted, obviously happy to see him. “It’s about time!”

Kit smiled as he walked over, removing his hands from his pockets to wave. “Hey! What’s up?”

Jonah bit his lip as he nodded. “Wow. Bentley was right. You are sensational – ouch!” he turned to look at Noah. “Why’d you hit me?”

Kit laughed. “Uh, hey. It’s nice to meet you.”

Jonah shoved Noah off and shook Kit’s hand. “Lovely to meet you as well. Welcome to Los Angeles! I’ve heard nothing but good things. Many good things.”

Noah rolled his eyes.

“That’s great,” Kit replied, trying to hold back his laughter. He could see how Jonah and Bentley were good friends. They both seemed to be on the same level of flirt. “I’ve heard good things as well.”

“How was hang out time with your dad?” Noah asked.

“We had a lot of fun. Now, I just need to get used to not seeing him every day, I think.”

“It’s weird at first, but after a couple weeks, you’ll start to enjoy the freedom,” Jonah said. “And the perk is that he lives in the same city.”

Kit could agree with that. But, he wasn’t entirely used to having people to spend time with besides his old man and Tawny, so it’d take him some time to adjust. Before Kit could ask where Bentley was, he looked up and saw someone on a purple bike speeding over to them. As he watched him hop onto the stair railing, grind down, and then do this thing where he spun his handle bars once in both directions, Kit felt his jaw drop.

Bentley rode over to them, popping up on his back wheel and then pumping his brakes altogether. He stayed in the air that way for a moment, wearing a smile on his face that slowly faded away. Eventually, he dropped his bike to the ground, stepped over it, and then slowly removed his helmet.

Kit didn’t know why he was turned on at the sight of someone getting off their bicycle, but he couldn’t move his eyes away from Bentley. There was also the image of Bentley standing there in his all-black outfit – black tank top shirt, black cotton blend shorts, black suede Pumas, and the shark tooth pendant he wore around his neck on a black rope necklace. The setting sun hit him in the right way, exposing the glistening sheen of sweat on his muscular arms and beautiful collar bones, and –

No. Stop.

Kit closed his mouth at once, licked his lips, cleared his throat, and then stood up straighter. He then smiled at Bentley.

“That was pretty good.”

Bentley stared at him.

??

Fuck.

Kit looked good.

Bentley knew it wasn’t normal for him to think that, but he couldn’t really control his thoughts. He felt what he felt. He didn’t have to act on those thoughts, but he wasn’t going to fight them…

Kit looked… yeah. He looked good. He was man enough to admit that.

He’d changed out of the long-sleeved shirt and jeans combo he’d left the dorm in that morning, and traded it for the tight orange v-neck and white thigh-highs he wore now. He had nice, strong thighs that Bentley couldn’t exactly stop staring at. They looked muscular, but soft at the same time. Bentley quickly looked away once the thought of them locked around his waist popped in his mind, and found Kit’s face instead.

This had to be what happened when he didn’t get laid for two months. Now, he was imagining himself messing around with his new friend – his new male friend who – just because he was gay – didn’t need to be objectified like this. Kit was attractive, yes, but after that Pattie fiasco, he deserved a dude who was going to take him out places, stay up all night talking to him, and have hot, intense, toe-curling sex. Not only the latter.

“That was pretty good,” Kit said.

Bentley watched as he smiled softly.

Noah smirked and turned to Kit. “He’s been complaining that you weren’t here literally all day, and now he’s just standing there.”

Jonah laughed.

Bentley walked over, helmet in hand, and forced himself to look away from Kit. He smiled at his friends and then glanced around the skate park.

“Whoever said that, thanks.”

Kit looked at Noah, then Jonah, and finally back at Bentley. “What?”

“I hear a voice, but I don’t see anyone.”

Kit smirked at him. “What are you talking about?”

“Do you guys hear that? It sounds like a traitor who would rather spend his time with someone else than with us.”

Noah laughed as Kit rolled his eyes.

“With my father, yes. You messaged me to remind me that you didn’t miss me at all, so why do you even care?”

Bentley bit his lip and looked Kit in the eyes, a smirk slowly forming on his lips. The action turned Kit’s cheeks red almost immediately, and Bentley smiled.

“You guys are adorable, but can we get out of here? There’s a party we’ve got to get ready for.”

Bentley looked at Jonah like he was the one who’d lost it. He was not going to a UCLA party – a party with the very people who thought he was their football team’s savior, and who expected him to play again this year. Zoey would likely be there too, as well as the girls who thought they deserved to be next in line. No. There was no way.

Noah sighed. “Let me guess. You’re not going either?”

Jonah’s face changed. “What? Who’s not going?”

“No.” Bentley looked over at Kit. “You three can go, but I don’t exactly belong at a UCLA party anymore. Barely wanted to go to them last year.”

Kit shook his head. “I’ll pass. I told Noah I wouldn’t be going earlier.”

Jonah sighed. “Really? We were going to be the four horseman in there tonight. We were going to party it up!”

Bentley ignored him, focusing on the fact that Kit wasn’t going either. “We can hang out, then. What do you say?”

“Oh? Now you can see me?”

Bentley smiled. Yeah. He could see him, alright. Every inch of him.

Kit continued, “I need to talk to you, anyway…”

Noah grabbed his older brother by the arm. “Well, you two pups have fun. We’re going to head back to campus.”

“Nice meeting you, Kit!” Jonah shouted.

Kit waved goodbye to the pair before shoving both hands in his pockets. Bentley was surprised shorts so short had pockets. He turned around to go get his bike and mounted it, fastening the strap of his helmet over the handlebars.

“I meant it when I said you were good. For some reason I thought you’d suck, but that’s not the case at all.”

Bentley chuckled softly. “Thanks. Hopefully the judges feel the same way.”

Kit smiled.

“Do you want to hop on the pegs? We can ride somewhere. Maybe get some ice cream. I kind of want ice cream.”

Kit raised an eyebrow. “Hop on the what?”

Bentley laughed. “You see the cylindrical shaped pieces of metal on my back wheel? I use them to do tricks and what not, but you can also step up there and hold onto me. I then ride. We go get ice cream.”

It was Kit’s turn to laugh now. “Yeah, I’m not getting up there. No thanks. All you have to do is stop short, or hit something, and I go flying.”

“Oh my god,” Bentley laughed. “You’re not five pounds. Relax.”

“I meant it when I said I want to talk. Depending on your answer, I’ll get on your little pegs.”

Bentley smirked. “Yes, you can kiss me.”

“I wasn’t going to ask that, idiot.”

“Then what is it?”

Kit took a deep breath, stepping aside for someone on their skateboard. “Okay. So, what if I told you I talked to my dad, and he’d be willing to let you stay at his place until you have a place to call your own?”

Bentley’s focus changed from his grip on the handlebars, up to Kit’s face. He didn’t know if he believed him entirely. For starters, he’d just met this kid. Had he really gone out of his way to try and find him a place to stay? “Are you for real?”

Kit grinned, swooping his platinum blond hair away from his face. “Depends. If you think I’d be overstepping my boundaries, then no. If you’d be interested, then yes.”

Bentley laughed. “I uh, I don’t know…”

“I don’t want you to think that I think you’re a charity case or anything like that, because that’s not the case. I know some people get weirded out when others try and help them. It’s not like that.”

“I know what it’s like.” Bentley pedaled forward, moving closer to Kit. “You want me at your place when you go home on the weekends. Naked.”

Kit burst out laughing. “Bentley. I –”

“It’s rather clever of you, really. But wouldn’t it be weird if your dad’s around?”

“Can you be serious for one second?” Kit laughed, pulling his hands from his pockets and placing them on Bentley’s shoulders. Bentley relaxed into the massaging motion almost immediately, but as soon as it had happened, Kit pulled his hands back as if he’d touched something hot.

“I’m sorry.”

Bentley smiled softly. “For what?”

Kit shook his head. “I… I just want you to know I’m being genuine. I brought you up to my dad, he knew you played for the Bruins…” he trailed off momentarily, and Bentley waited patiently for him to finish. “… said that you have a lot of potential and he’s disappointed in the whole drop-out thing, but he’d be willing to give you a place if you were interested. He said if you wanted, you could give him a call.”

Bentley had to let it sink that someone cared for him enough to do this – someone he’d just met. His own ex-girlfriend didn’t even want him around, yet Kit and his dad were willing to make space for him. Bentley hated that he had to beg around in the first place, and he didn’t want for Kit to think he was some pathetic kid who was really throwing himself away to pursue something foolish, but he wasn’t in the position to decline the offer even if he wanted to.

“Would it be weird if I hugged you?”

Kit shrugged. “A simple yes would suffice. I just touched you and you were super sweaty –” before he could finish, Bentley hopped off the bike once more and picked Kit up off the ground in one swooping motion. Kit was protesting at first, laughing as he tried loosening the grip around his lower back, but eventually he gave up, instead deciding to whine about how sweaty Bentley was as the teen engulfed him.

“Thank you, Kitten. I seriously mean that.”

He loosened his grip, but only enough so that Kit could slide down his body and land on the ground. Once they were eye-level again, Bentley smiled.

“I’m not going to forget this. I really can’t tell you how much it means having someone in my corner… someone who didn’t have to help at all, wanting to. You’re amazing.”

Kit’s eyes quickly darted down to Bentley’s lips, and he would’ve missed it, or at least thought he made that part up, if it weren’t for the guilty face Kit wore after it happened. He nodded, though, letting his arms awkwardly linger by their sides. “Yeah. It’s n-no big deal. I’ll give you my father’s number later on and you can speak to him. He’s a great guy.”

Bentley slowly let him go. “It’s a big deal. But, I’ll make sure to make you proud. I don’t want you to feel like a dud one day because you believed in me. And I don’t want your dad to feel like he wasted his time. I’ll make you proud, Kit. Mark my words.”

Kit smiled. “Alright. I’m holding you to that.”

Bentley smiled back. He was still in shock. Today made it feel like Kit would be more than his friend’s college roommate who’d he hang out with a few times. Today made it feel like 10 years down the line, Kit would still be in his life.

“So… can we hang out tonight? I want to go take a shower since you’re so turned-off right now.”

Kit smiled. “Yeah –”

“Excuse me?”

They both turned around, and Bentley lifted an eyebrow at the pair he saw standing in front of him. He recognized the man immediately, but he wasn’t too sure who the young lady was beside him.

“Hey…” Bentley began, extending his hand.

The guy switched his camera from one hand to the other before shaking Bentley’s. “We don’t mean to disturb you. I’m Cameron Mulligan from Ride BMX. They call me C-Mully.”

“I know just who you are.” Bentley followed Ride BMX like most people into the sport. He was definitely confused, but intrigued at the same time. “I’m Bentley Williams.”

“We know. You rode against Lox in the underground battle at Tucson at the beginning of the year.”

Bentley forgot that was a thing. “Oh. Yeah.”

“It’s a pleasure. This is Morgan Palmer, a new writer with our blog. We were in the area and saw someone posted a video of you riding here at Hollenbeck.”

“We were hoping to catch you before you left,” Morgan said. She was short and perky, and her voice made Bentley think of Britney Spears.

Bentley glanced back at Kit who was watching with interest. “We were just about to leave. Can I help you with anything?”

“Well, we were hoping we could feature you on the blog? People were in an uproar over you. You’re Brian Williams’ son and you smoked one of the kings of underground. That was a big deal, Bentley. But then you disappeared…”

Bentley began rubbing at his shoulder. “Well, I honestly just wanted to test the waters when I faced Lox.”

“And you were incredible,” Morgan told him. She smiled, and Bentley wondered if the whole playing with her sky blue hair thing worked on other guys. “We’d only want a moment of your time…”

It may’ve sounded like a good idea, but Bentley wasn’t too sure. His competition was at the end of the week. He didn’t know if he wanted the exposure so early on. It’d out him as having dropped out, tipped his family off, and worst of all, the toll it would take on his mental state before the competition could potentially ruin everything. “We were actually about to leave –”

“He has the time,” Kit said. “We’re in no rush.”

Bentley turned to look at him.

Cameron smiled. “Great. We were just hoping we could get a clip of you riding and doing a few tricks. Maybe ask you a few questions afterwards. We’ll be over here whenever you’re ready.”

Morgan smiled at him before walking off.

Bentley turned around to face Kit. “What? Why’d you tell them yes?”

Kit looked at him like he grew a second head. “Why wouldn’t you? They have a blog, right? Isn’t that a big deal?”

Bentley reached for his helmet. “They work for one of the most popular BMX blogs, yes. Ride BMX is a big deal. But that doesn’t mean I want to be featured on it.”

“Why not?”

“Because your boss, my uncle, pays attention to those blogs. I’m featured on it and then this is over before it even began.”

Kit turned to look at the duo as they spoke quietly a few feet away. “He’s going to find out one way or another, Bentley. You’re going to have to take that leap eventually. You will have people in your corner. You have to realize that by now.”

Bentley remained quiet.

“The exposure will be good. Those two said people have been buzzing about you for months. Correct me if I’m wrong, but with a feature on a noteworthy blog, and a competition win, think of what that could mean. You could be well on your way to doing what you’ve always wanted to do. Right?”

Bentley knew he was right. Truth was, he was more than a little nervous. “If I do this, you’re getting on my pegs and we’re going to get ice cream.”

Kit laughed. “Fine, Benny. I’m going to hang out over here and cheer you on.”

Bentley shook his head as Kit walked off. Kit could probably convince him to poke at a hornet’s nest and he’d skip right over to it. The boy was dangerous. He let himself stare at Kit’s short shorts a few seconds longer before putting the helmet back on and pedaling over to the Ride BMX folk.

??

The bus ride back to campus was probably Kit’s favorite part of the day. Well, beside watching the crowd that gathered around Bentley at Hollenbeck plaza to watch him film for the blog feature. That was pretty cool. But this; sitting at the very back of the bus with Bentley as they rushed to eat their melting ice cream cones – Bentley’s head on his shoulder as the boy rambled on a mile a minute about why Superman is entirely overrated – this was pretty cool.

Kit realized this was something he wouldn’t be able to do with a guy back in Junction. They’d immediately fear being seen as ‘queer by association,’ when it clearly wasn’t a big deal. Just two guys hanging out and enjoying each other’s company.

They got off at the last stop, and Bentley pulled his shorts a little higher on his waist before placing both wheels of the bike on campus ground. He turned back and smirked at Kit who had both arms folded across his chest.

“Are you ready to try this again?”

Kit shook his head no. Bentley played way too much for his liking. “You tried to kill me the last time I got up there, Benny. I’m not doing it.”

Bentley laughed. “I was only joking around. Come on.”

“I’ll walk.”

Bentley sighed as he sat down on the bike. “Come here, Kitten. I promise I’ll take it easy. I’ll go nice and slow for you…”

“Creep.” Kit said, shaking his head at the way his perverted friend burst out laughing. “You clearly don’t value my safety, or my life for that matter.”

“You were the one who started hitting me as we were riding in the middle of a Los Angeles road, Kit…”

“Because you were speeding down the middle of a Los Angeles road with me on your pegs! I was scared!”

Bentley sped up until he was in front of Kit, turning his bike and effectively blocking his pathway. “We’re on campus now. I promise I won’t be an idiot. I’ll behave myself.”

Kit stared at him. The one good thing about riding on the bike with Bentley was having to hold onto his shoulders. Tightly. Bentley had the broadest shoulders and Kit had an excuse to touch them. That part was nice…

“Besides,” Bentley continued. “I like having you behind me, if you know what I mean.”

Kit rolled his eyes. “I’ll walk.”

Bentley laughed. “No. Okay, come on. I was just being a flirt. You can’t blame me. You look hot tonight. You should wear those shorts all the time, Kitten.”

“First of all, I always look hot.” Kit looked around campus as he spoke. It was pretty quiet on this end. “Secondly, shut up.”

Bentley laughed. “Fine. I’ll get off my bike and walk alongside you. I’ll feel like less of a dick this way.”

Kit smiled at him. “You’re not a dick. I’ve met dicks before.”

“Well, you don’t have to worry about them here. So, tell me how orientation went?”

“I signed up for a fashion program. They have my portfolio. I might get to write for the magazine and be part of the fashion show. That’s if they like my work, which hopefully, they do. If not, I’ll still get to participate in other things and try again sophomore year, so it’s fine either way.”

Bentley bumped shoulders with him as they walked. “I’m sure they’ll love your work. You’re really talented. Noah and I went through your portfolio while you were in the shower.”

Kit laughed. “You guys suck.”

“You know what’s crazy? We’re in the Westwood Village neighborhood of campus. That’s where your Fashion Department is…”

Kit turned to look at him. “Yeah? And…?”

“Well,” Bentley turned left unexpectedly. “Let’s go!”

“It’s late on a Sunday before classes have even begun. The building is closed, Benny.”

“We’re just going to have a look…” Bentley turned to face him. “I mean… we can either walk a few blocks, or you can climb up and hold on tight…”

Kit smiled. “There’s literally an innuendo in everything you say.”

“Maybe you’re just horny.”

Kit rolled his eyes. “Wait.” He reached for his phone and opened an app before walking up to Bentley’s side. “Left hand on the Bible and raise your right hand.”

Bentley quirked an eyebrow in response. “Do you have a Bible app on your phone?”

“I do. I learned from that one Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis movie, and I had to do this with Tawny a lot. So, do as I asked…”

Bentley smiled, wiping both hands on his shirt before raising his right hand and placing his left on the phone. “Okay.”

“Repeat after me – I, Bentley Williams, will do all that I can to ensure that my gorgeous friend, Kit Edwards, is not in any harm or danger while on the back of my bike.”

“That’s kinda long…”

“Say it.”

Bentley took a deep breath, trying to hide his smirk. “I, Bentley Williams, will do all that I can to ensure that my gorgeous, beautiful, talented friend, and future father of my children, Kit Edwards, is not in any harm or danger while on the back of my bike.”

Kit couldn’t help but laugh as he pulled his phone back. “You swore on the Bible. You promise?”

Bentley winked. “You have my word. If I’m doing something stupid, I give you permission to hit me this time. But, I will not be doing anything bad. I promise.”

Kit nodded. He moved behind Bentley, unzipped Bentley’s backpack and dropped his phone inside.  He then took it from him and put it on himself. Bentley smiled as he looked back at him, and Kit carefully stepped up on the bike pegs. He gripped Bentley’s shoulders tightly as he got comfortable, and then let his fingers lace by his chest.

“I’m ready.”

Bentley nodded before taking off.

The ride was a lot safer this time. There weren’t any cars rushing at them, or speeding past them, and Bentley wasn’t swerving in the middle of the road like an idiot. This time, he was riding like a normal human being who didn’t have a need for speed, and at one point, as he waited for a light to turn green, Bentley reached up and caressed Kit’s wrist where the boy held onto him, playing at the beaded-bracelet he wore, caressing each bead between the pads of his fingers.

Kit hated him. Maybe having a douche who treated him the way Paulie did would’ve been better for his sanity. This was going to play with his emotions a little bit too much.

They arrived at the building a couple minutes later, and Kit stepped down. Bentley got off his bike and tucked it safely by the steps. He then began to look around before casually walking up the stairs. Kit grew suspicious as Bentley tried opening the doors of this clearly closed facility.

“What are you doing?”

Bentley shook his head. “Nothing.”

He then walked down the steps, looked around once more, and walked past Kit to the far end of the building.

“Bentley…”

Bentley disappeared around the side of the building.

“Oh my god.” Kit took a deep breath, shouldering his friend’s backpack as he followed him. Once he got to the end, he peeked around the corner to see Bentley sneaking through a window. “What the fuck?”

He could hear Bentley calling his name, but there was no fucking way he was breaking into the fashion building, or any building on this campus. He hadn’t even gotten to start classes officially.

“Kitten!”

“No!”

Bentley stuck his head out the window. “Come here! And hurry up.”

Kit could not believe what he was getting himself into. His father was going to kill him. He looked around and saw cars driving by, heading to the 405, and once the coast was clear, he ran up to the window Bentley had snuck in through. Bentley was now wearing a colorful hat as he held out his hand for Kit.

“Come in! We’ll just look around for a few minutes and then we’ll leave.”

“You mean in handcuffs, right? Have you ever heard of campus security? Or the police?”

“It’s fine! There’s no alarm.”

“There could be a silent alarm!”

“Just… come in.” Bentley stood there, stupid hat on and hand outstretched. Kit shook his head as he accepted the boost, allowing Bentley to help pull him in.

He landed safely and immediately took the hat from Bentley’s head and swatted him with it. Bentley laughed, dodging the second attempt and backing against the wall.

“Stop it, will you? Let’s have a look around your new kingdom.”

Kit placed the hat down and allowed himself to look around. The lights were dim, but only enough to let people know that the building was closed, and that idiots like them should not be inside. He could still see, though, and from the looks of things, the fashion headquarters was amazing. Even better than in the photos he looked up online.

Bentley took a seat at one of the desks and ran his hand along the sewing machine. “Wow. This is nice.”

Kit took a step forward and looked at one of the bare mannequins in the center of the room. He’d probably get the opportunity to dress him one day.

“You better make me something in here. Socks. Something.” Bentley stood up and grabbed a piece of fabric. “I want whatever you make me to be purple.”

Kit smiled. “Yeah. We’ll see.”

Bentley walked over to him and smiled. “Why so quiet?”

He turned to look at him and shrugged. “I guess I’m just imagining my life here. You know? Thinking of all the magic I can make in this place.”

Bentley smiled. “Like my purple socks.”

Kit laughed. “Like your purple socks. This could also be the place I start my very own fashion line. Just imagining all of that is giving me goosebumps.”

Bentley smiled at him.

Kit walked over to the sewing machine and had a seat, smoothing his hand over the dark surface. “This machine is thousands of dollars. It’s a beauty.” 

Bentley pulled out his phone and snuck a picture of Kit while he was completely in awe. He smiled at it before returning his phone to his pocket. “Want to look around upstairs?”

Kit followed him, and upstairs were a bunch of offices. There were posters on the wall of runway models at New York Fashion Week, and Paris Fashion Week, and in Milan. Kit tried imagining one of his pieces on a model at those shows. He smiled.

“I guess this is where all the future magazine editors get their practice in, huh?” Bentley asked. He looked out over the balcony at the floor below, and Kit joined him.

“This is pretty cool. Being here when no one else is and just… looking, I guess.”

Bentley smiled at him. “It is pretty cool.”

“We’ll probably get arrested in a few minutes, but this is nice.”

“I won’t let you get arrested,” Bentley told him. “If anything, just hide and I’ll tell the pigs that I acted alone. My mom would rather me in jail than doing BMX anyway.”

Kit turned to face him. “That’s not true.”

Bentley sat down at one of the computers and turned it on. Kit shook his head, watching him read through a fashion piece about Kanye West sneakers.

“You don’t really believe that, do you?”

Bentley shrugged, turning back to look at Kit. “You don’t get it. She really hated the sport after my dad hurt himself.”

“But, to be fair, you could hurt yourself just as badly playing football.”

Bentley nodded. “Exactly. I mentioned that to her. But, all I can do is my best.” He stood up and began to walk again, passing the bathrooms and heading to a door labeled ‘exit.’

“Let’s go.”

Kit stared at him. “On the roof?”

Bentley smiled. “It’d be cool. Looking at the rest of campus from up top. Come on.”

Kit sighed. He took one last look over the balcony before deciding to follow Bentley. If security was going to show up, they probably would’ve done so already.

They climbed up to the roof, and Bentley took a few careful steps before turning back to Kit. “It is pretty nice up here, huh?”

The view was amazing. He couldn’t lie. Not only could he see campus, but across Los Angeles. He could see the hills. The beach. The stars. He took in a deep breath.

“A little prettier than Ohio.”

Bentley smiled. “I went to Ohio a couple times – one time I’m old enough to remember. Dad had to compete there, and we made it a family gig. I was like… seven. Eight, maybe. After his competition, we went to this awesome theme park. Cedar Point?”

Kit smiled as he walked closer to Bentley. “I loved Cedar Point growing up. We’d go every summer. That’s the place I met my first love.”

Bentley smirked. “Yeah?”

“I remember he was a bit shorter than me. Beautiful eyes. And he was totally in love with me. Gave me a ring pop and said he wanted us to get serious. I gave him the friendship bracelet Tawny made for me, and she wouldn’t talk to me for three whole days when she found out.”

Bentley threw his head back and laughed. “Wow. How old were you?”

“I was probably seven. She and I made each other friendship bracelets in kindergarten, and I’d had it for a while at that point, but I just so freely gave mine to this boy because he’d just freaking proposed. I had to do something.”

Bentley laughed. “Wow.”

“Tawny wasn’t too happy with me.”

“Did you keep his ring?”

Kit smiled. “I ate it as soon as we got home.”

Bentley shook his head, but the smile on his face gave it away. “That’s fucking adorable. I’ve got to hand it to him. He’s pretty smooth.”

Kit nodded. “Yes. I think we’ll reunite one day.”

“Hopefully you won’t. If you do, I won’t get my shot. He sounds like a little douchebag anyway.”

Kit rolled his eyes. “He was a child, Bentley. And the love of my life. Don’t talk like that.”

“Whatever. Look.” Bentley stepped closer, pulling out his phone and typing away. Kit wondered what he was up to as Bentley finally opened a link and showed him the screen.

“This is my father at that competition back in Ohio. Just watch him. The man was incredible.”

Kit took the phone and watched in awe. Brian Williams did trick after trick effortlessly. Kit could see so much of Bentley in the man, specifically how happy they looked as they soared through the air.

“He’s amazing.”

“Right?” Bentley accepted the phone back and smiled. “You see that shirt? It’s a Pink Floyd tour shirt. My old man was obsessed with it. Wore it more often than not. My mom would always chase him down to put it in the wash. When I think of him, I always see him in this shirt.”

Kit smiled, looking down at the screen once more. The tie-dye shirt was super ‘90s. “That’s exactly how I feel about my Marc Jacobs cashmere scarf.”

Bentley laughed.  

“Why don’t you buy one?”

“They’re really rare nowadays, and expensive, too.” Bentley pocketed his phone and stepped closer, taking Kit’s hand as they walked closer to the edge. Kit stopped short, though.

“I hate heights. I feel safer right here.”

Bentley nodded. “Alright.”

“Thanks for hanging with me instead of doing that party. This has been a lot of fun. Even the whole turning me into a criminal part.”

“You didn’t take that much convincing…” Bentley smirked before looking away. “But I feel like I should thank you for today.”

Kit shrugged. “Eh. You’re a good guy. I’m happy I could help.”

“But you barely know me,” Bentley said. “I could be a horrible guy.”

“You’re not.”

“How do you know?”

“I can tell.” Kit looked at him. “A horrible guy probably wouldn’t want to hang out with me the way you have been. I know horrible guys. You’re not one of them.”

Bentley turned to look out over the city. “Can I ask you something that’s probably personal?”

Kit winced. “Um…”

“Nothing bad.” Bentley took a deep breath. “It’s like… okay. Would you ever… date a guy who’d dated girls in the past?”

Kit had to pause to think about that. This was either Bentley being his normally flirty self, or Bentley being genuinely curious about it. Why he’d be curious, Kit wasn’t sure.

“Honestly, probably not.”

Bentley nodded. “Is it because of the whole Pepper thing or something else?”

“The Paulie thing,” Kit confirmed. “Like… I just don’t want to be played for a fool again. Or experimented with. It wasn’t fun for me, and neither was the torment when he told people I was the one coming on to him. It was my senior year and I had to deal with that instead of being happy at prom and graduation. It sucked.”

Bentley glanced over at him.

“I think I’d be happier with a guy I know who is truly into me. All of me.”

“Just because he may have been with a few girls doesn’t necessarily mean he’s not into you,” Bentley said. “Don’t you think?”

Kit looked at Bentley for a moment. Bentley looked back, waiting for a response. Kit shook his head and looked away.

“It’s just personal preference. I don’t want to have to worry about him having doubts, or looking at women, or having a sample and then deciding it’s not what he wants. I’ve been there. I’m insecure when it comes to that.”

“Rightfully so,” Bentley said. “Because you’ve been hurt before. But… that doesn’t mean the next guy won’t be serious about you, or try to make it work.”

“Are we still being hypothetical here?”

Bentley licked his lips and turned away. “I was just curious.”

Kit nodded. They were quiet for a while, and Bentley eventually walked forward to peek over the edge of the building on his own. Kit watched as he looked around, and he wondered what the hell that conversation was about. He wasn’t even going to entertain the idea that Bentley was asking him because he liked him. He wasn’t going down that route. Not again, and not with a guy he actually respected thus far.

“So.” He was eager to change the conversation and talk about something else. “My father lives in Carson. It’s not the best neighborhood, so just… be careful.”

Bentley smiled as he turned back, walking over to him. “Yeah? Donny and his family live out there. It’s not that bad.”

“I can’t tell you how many nights I’ve heard helicopters overhead.”

“The most you’ll see in Carson is a little grand theft auto. A little burglary. Nothing big.”

Kit stared at him. “That’s still bad, Bentley.”

He shrugged. “Welcome to Los Angeles, Kitten.”

Kit shook his head and turned around, not wanting to look into Bentley’s stupidly pretty grey eyes. “Are you ready to get out of here? I need to be reunited with my bed.”

“And you have class tomorrow,” Bentley teased. “We can head back. I’ll call your dad once we’re in the room.”

They went back inside, grateful that Kit was smart enough to prop open the door so they wouldn’t be locked out, and then snuck through the building and out of the window. Bentley went to get his bike once the coast was clear, and they hurried to catch the shuttle bus that’d take them in the direction of the dorms.