Kit couldn’t believe he was changing outfits yet again, but he was unbearably indecisive this morning. Noah kept saying that he could wear a toga and a Santa hat and Bentley would still kiss the ground he walked on. Kit could only tell him he was an idiot as he headed into the bathroom to try on outfit #4. Bentley didn’t kiss the ground he walked on. They were still in the baby stages of their crush, and there may have been a little goo-goo eyes and flirting, but it had never been that serious. Noah was being overdramatic as usual.

Outfit #4 was an all-black ensemble – a short-sleeved hoodie, a pair of Eddie Bauer chino shorts Kit had gotten on for a steal at a flea market, and these combat boots that he refused to leave behind in Junction because they were his favorite shoes ever. As he stared at himself in the mirror, even he could admit that he looked good, but did he look first date with Bentley Williams good? Did he look hot enough to keep focus when a beautiful girl walked by?

He wasn’t sure.

The time read 11:53. He probably had time to change his outfit one last time before Bentley showed up at his dorm, but as he walked over to his bed, Noah looked up from his homework and wolf-whistled.

“Oh yeah, man. That’s the one.”

Kit looked down at himself before shaking his head no. “I don’t know. It looks like I’m going to a funeral, not a first date.”

Noah laughed. “I think the outfit is pretty cool. Maybe you should change your top if it’s too dark, but you can’t go wrong with all-black.

Before Kit could decide on another outfit change, there were a couple knocks on the door. He looked at his watch again.

“Shit. I’m not ready!”

Noah looked at him like he was crazy. “You’re ready, Kit. Calm down. Go answer the door. Have a good time.”

Kit took a deep breath and slowly began to walk to the door. This was technically going to be his first date ever, because god knows no one asked him out back in Ohio, and the pizzeria didn’t really count. He didn’t know how to act. Bentley seemed more comfortable with himself when it came to the two of them, and he wasn’t even the one who’d been into guys all his life.

When two additional knocks sounded, Kit realized he was stalling by the bathroom instead of walking over to answer it. Noah groaned.

“Bro…”

“Yeah…” Kit anxiously pulled at his top before finally answering the door. He found Bentley standing there holding a white box with a blue ribbon on top.

Bentley smiled widely when he laid eyes on Kit, then his eyes slowly fell down his body and the smile fell from his lips. The look that took over his face was one of pure attraction… like I’m undressing you in my mind attraction, and it made the hairs on the back of Kit’s neck stand up.

“Hey,” Kit said, blushing as he looked down at the gift. “What’s that?”

Bentley looked back up and into Kit’s eyes. He smiled again. “Hey.”

Kit waited patiently. “Hey…”

“I um,” Bentley began, glancing over Kit’s body one last time as he gathered his thoughts. “I didn’t want to bring flowers, because that’s cheesy and I don’t even know if you like them, and they’d just die in this tiny room anyway, so I thought I’d bring something a college freshman could use.”

Kit accepted the long box and shook it. There was minimal movement, and the box wasn’t too heavy. Kit smiled at Bentley before gesturing inside. “I’ll open this later. Would you like to get out of here?”

Bentley nodded. “I’d love to.”

Kit took the gift and placed it on his bed. Noah stood up and looked at Bentley in the doorway.

“I want my roommate back at 7:00 sharp! He has class tomorrow morning.”

Bentley rolled his eyes. “First of all, put a shirt on. Please.”

Noah put up his middle finger. “Boney guys are in style.”

Kit walked past him. “Noah has a party to go to tonight, so he won’t know if I’ll be back by seven. Ignore him.”

“Oh, I’ll know…” Noah wagged a finger at them. “Have a good time, but not too good of a time.”

Bentley laughed as he took Kit by the hand. “Bye, Fisher.”

“Goodbye,” Kit added, smiling as they closed the door behind themselves.

The duo were quiet as they exited the dorm building, and though Kit tried to be nonchalant, it wasn’t easy calming down his thumping heart. Bentley held his hand securely in his as they swayed together, and there was a slight smirk on his lips that made Kit curious when he looked over at him.

“What’s so funny?”

Bentley shook his head. “Me, I guess. I’m laughing at myself.”

Kit stared at him. “Go on…”

They headed towards Uncle Don’s car. Bentley stopped when they got there, leaning against it and pulling Kit closer into him. “I used to think about riding BMX nonstop. Now, I’m thinking about you 80 percent of the time, and riding 20 percent of the time. No one’s really ever had this effect on me, I guess.”

Kit almost shivered when Bentley’s hands found his waist. He glanced around campus, seeing the few people who were outside on the early Sunday afternoon definitely watching the two of them. Kit looked back at Bentley and smiled softly.

“Let’s get out of here.”

Bentley nodded, letting go a breath as he released his hold on Kit. “Yeah. You never did tell me where we were going…”

“Brunch, of course. Then you’re showing me the pier. I haven’t been yet and Jonah tells me Santa Monica is his favorite beach.”

“Oh, you’ll love it.” Bentley smiled. “I haven’t been in a while, actually.”

Bentley opened the door for Kit, and he thanked him as he climbed in. Kit then watched him round the Ford sedan. Bentley had on a tight muscle shirt and these dark jeans that threatened to make Kit drool. He held it together, though. As his date hopped in the driver’s side, Kit spoke. “The restaurant is Jinky’s Café. Have you ever been?”

Bentley thought for a moment. “Sounds familiar, but I don’t believe I have.”

“Well, the girls I had the slumber party with last night told me nothing but good things about it. They also gave me tips for today as how not to embarrass myself, so we’ll see…”

Bentley chuckled to himself as he started the car up. “You look incredible, Kitten.”

“No. You look incredible.”

Bentley smiled. “Thanks. But you’re gorgeous.”

Kit rolled his eyes. “Just drive, Cassanova.”

“I mean it.”

Kit blushed. He leaned forward to enter the address for Jinky’s in the GPS and then put his seatbelt on. “You know, this is my first official date. I’m a little bit nervous.”

Bentley looked at him for a moment. “Before we even do… this… I think we should agree despite what happens, we will continue to be friends. We’ll always be friends, right?”

Kit smiled. “Of course, Benny.”

“Don’t get me wrong – I want us to be more, but your friendship means the world to me right now. I need you around.”

“You have me,” Kit promised. He reached for Bentley’s hand, trying to get his attention. “I’m serious. And probably a little selfish, because I need you, too. You mean a lot to me.”

Bentley squeezed his hand before putting the car in gear. “Then it’s settled. Regardless of what happens, we’re going to always have each other’s backs.”

“Deal.”

“Now, about this being your first date, if I play my cards right, it’ll be the first and last first-date you ever have. This way, you won’t have to worry about feeling first-date nerves ever again.”

“Spoken like a true flirt,” Kit teased.

“Except I’m being for real.” Bentley pulled off and made his way towards the main road. “And to reduce your nerves, I’m going to be upfront with you now…”

Kit hummed. “I’m listening…”

Bentley licked his lips. “I’m going in for the kiss today. I don’t have it planned out, but I’m going to do it. Thought I’d let you know.”

As Kit blushed, he couldn’t help but laugh at the boldness of the statement. “I um… okay.”

“Good. Now that that’s out of the way, we can be ourselves and have a good time like usual.”

Kit looked out the passenger side window with a smile. “Okay.”

??

“It’s a fifteen-minute wait!” the hostess said, obviously overwhelmed with the brunch crowd that the Sunday afternoon produced. Bentley nodded to her and turned back to Kit; his hands on Kit’s waist as he nudged him out of the restaurant. Kit had relaxed a great deal during the ride, and even now, he put his hands over Bentley’s around his hips as they walked outside towards the car. It made Bentley smile.

“We can totally find someplace else if you don’t want to wait,” Kit said. He turned around and smiled at Bentley. “Isn’t there a Cheesecake Factory a block over? I’d do some seriously slutty things for cheesecake.”

Bentley laughed as he tried not to think about what those slutty things might be. “I guarantee you they’re just as busy as this place. We’ve got all day. There’s  no rush.”

Kit smiled at the answer. “You’re right.”

Bentley bit his lip into a smile as well. “So, tell me about the slumber party last night. Did you finish your article?”

“Ha. Barely.” Kit leaned against the car with Bentley and stretched a bit. “We talked about boys while working on designs for the fashion show during the first hour – I’m designing one dressy casual outfit and something with a bit of denim –”

“Before you continue,” Bentley interrupted. “Who will be modeling your designs? It’s just that I know this crazy attractive guy that would love to audition for the role. His name is Bentley and he really wants the opportunity to brag about being the first person ever to wear something the great Kit Edwards created.”

Kit blushed immediately. “Is that so? I was going to make Noah do it since I live with him. He’d be easy to get measurements for, and to harass into coming into rehearsals…”

“Screw that guy,” Bentley said. “The kid I’m telling you about is your man.”

Kit laughed softly. “Well. I guess it’s settled, then?”

“It is.” Bentley grinned proudly, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet. “Well, tell me about the rest of the night.”

Kit took a deep breath and tried to remember where he was. “Oh, yeah. So we were all running our mouths about boys and life and everything, and when they found out that I was going on a date with you today, conversation stretched into another hour.”

Bentley smiled. “That’s cute. I hope this was positive conversation?”

“It was… interesting. Eva was shocked. She said you and Zoey looked as if you’d be married with a kid by junior year.”

Yeah. A lot of people used to say that. Thank God it didn’t happen. “Zoey and I were tight. As long as I was doing what she approved of and being the model boyfriend, things were great.”

Kit nodded.

“I definitely don’t want to talk about our past relationships today, though. Continue.”

Kit exhaled. “Yeah. Eventually, we ordered pizza. The good, fruitless kind, and got down to work. I finished my article around two in the morning.”

“Can I read it?”

Kit turned to Bentley and smiled. “No.”

Bentley pouted. “Really?”

“Stop.” Kit laughed. “That’s cute and distracting.”

“Let me read the article.”

Kit smirked as he pulled out his phone and opened the email. “If it sucks, be honest. I can take it. There’s tons of room for improvement.”

Bentley accepted the phone and quietly began to read the article to himself. It was a review of the fall line by some up-and-coming designer based out of Atlanta. If he hadn’t known whose words he was reading, he wouldn’t think it was the work of a college freshman. It read like it was written by a seasoned veteran who’d been in the industry for a few years. “So… you’re telling me you wrote this at 2 am?”

Kit nodded. “Go easy on me. It’s the first fashion piece I’ve ever seriously written…”

“It’s fantastic.” Bentley shook his head and turned to face him. “Let me get this straight. You’re an artist. You’re a writer. You look like someone ripped you out of the pages of a fashion magazine. Is there anything you can’t do?”

As Kit blushed, he swooped the hair away from his face. “Uh… this is coming from the track star, football playing BMX rider?”

Bentley smiled. “You’re going to go far. I’m going to be able to say I remember this guy when he worked in a BMX shop he couldn’t stand. Now, he’s the best designer on this fucking planet.”

Kit took his phone back and pocketed it. “I like you, Bentley.”

Bentley was taken aback by the admission, but he smiled, playfully nudging Kit’s shoulder. “Oh? What do you like about me?”

Kit laughed. “Maybe I deserve that. But I do have an answer, and I promise it’s not cliché.”

“Then let’s hear it.”

Kit licked his lips. Bentley tried not to focus too hard on the action as Kit began to answer him. He didn’t want to let his dick distract him from Kit’s response.

“When we first met, I thought you were gorgeous. Those eyes, and your smile… those arms. You were 110% that guy I’d crush on in high school, so naturally, I thought you’d end up being some meathead jerk.” Kit smiled to himself and shook his head. “But, time would tell that Bentley Williams was sweet, and funny, and someone who was interested in who I was, and what I had to say. He’s this guy who is amazing beyond words… charming, brilliant, talented, and a little hurt. I was a little hurt, too. You’re everything but a meathead jerk.”

Bentley looked at him.

“Even though I’m scared out of my mind to fall for you, Bentley, I can’t deny how I feel. I’ve been trying, and it only makes things harder.”

Bentley moved closer, sliding into Kit so that their hips touched. “To be fair, I’m afraid too.”

Kit looked slightly confused. “Yeah?”

“Yes. It’s a little scary being the guy who’s never been into guys and pursuing the sexiest guy in this fucking city. I feel like I have to compete with actual gay men who could easily step in and sweep you away because they know what the fuck they’re doing.”

“You think I’m the sexiest guy in this city?” Kit laughed. “You’re high. And I don’t know why you think there’s a long line of men interested in me, but that’s just not the case.”

“I think you’re the sexiest person in this city if you want me to be completely honest.” Bentley shrugged. “And you forget, I’ve been out with you before. I’ve seen how other men look at you, Kit. You don’t know it, but you’re oh so fine.”

Kit began to laugh. “Okay, crazy.”

“You’re like… so sexy. You probably think I’m full of shit, but I cannot stop thinking about your body. Touching your body. Your lips. Having you touch me…”

It took no time at all for Kit to start blushing, and that wasn’t even Bentley’s intention. He was just keeping it real. He didn’t know the first thing about being intimate with a guy, but when it came to Kit, his imagination ran wild. Bentley was more than willing to learn.

“I thought about those things too. And I’m also afraid, Benny. I think about what happens if I get invested, and you decide that this was too much for you.” Kit looked down at his boots. “What if we do become intimate after time, and it’s not what you wanted. Or, if you meet a girl who can remind you of what you really like.”

Bentley shook his head and looked away. “What I really like is you.”

He didn’t get an answer, and Bentley didn’t know what he expected. Kit was right to feel the way he did. He didn’t exactly have a proven track record when it came to relationships, and definitely not one with a member of the same sex.

“Well, maybe the only thing we can do is prove ourselves to each other. Learn to trust one another.”

Kit nodded. “Yeah.”

Bentley licked his lips. “I know it’s scary. I think it’s scary for the both of us. But maybe we can take this slow, and you’ll see I’m serious.”

“And you’ll see that I’m serious,” Kit answered softly. He then smiled.

Bentley looked him in the eyes. “I have to talk to you about something –”

The hostess called them inside, saying a table for two was ready. Bentley turned, taking a deep breath as he followed Kit inside the restaurant. They were seated close to the front window, and Kit thanked the hostess as she placed two menus down on the table.

“Waiter will be right over!”

Bentley picked up the menu and looked it over.

“Tell me what you wanted to talk to me about,” Kit asked politely.

Bentley looked up at him and tried not to smile at the adorable look on his date’s face, but he failed. “I have my meeting with Red Bull this week. You know, to officially sign with them.”

Kit’s face lit up. “What? I mean, I’m not at all surprised, but that’s incredible! I’m so proud of you, Benny.”

Bentley nodded. “I probably have you to thank for it. You and the guys were supportive when I thought about giving up. So thanks.”

“Hey, your talent speaks for itself.” Kit shrugged, brushing it off. “You’re an amazing rider. This was bound to happen.” He picked up his glass of water and toasted it against Bentley’s. “To Bentley Williams, the Juno Games Champion!”

Bentley smiled. “They told me yesterday that they want me to do a bit of traveling for a couple weeks. This guy I competed against yesterday, Frankie, and myself, we’ll be in some parts of Europe doing a filming session. And then I’m competing in this competition in Toronto, and then I’ll be back in L.A.”

Now, Kit’s face dropped a bit. Bentley could tell that he tried to rebound, but it probably wasn’t as quickly as he thought. “That’s great! Two weeks?”

Bentley sighed. “Yeah. But it’s going to be great, because I’ll have an income. I’ll be earning a bit, and promoting their brand, but they’ll also give me tons of exposure. Plus, they pay for my travel.” He smiled. “When I get back, I’ll look for an apartment. Maybe with a roommate if I can’t swing it alone. You can help me with all of that. You’re going to stay over a lot so I figured you can help.”

Kit smiled. He was slow to answer, but he slowly began to nod his head. “I’d love to. Maybe you can get a place around here so you’re not far from campus, and I have an excuse to come to the beach.”

Bentley smiled. “For sure. I just hate that I’ll be away from you for so long.”

Kit seemed to share that sentiment. “As do I. It’s going to be hard going day after day without seeing those ripped abs.”

Bentley smirked. “Shut up.”

“When are you officially leaving?”

“This tour starts next week Tuesday, so if all goes well and they do offer me the contract…”

“They will.” Kit reached out and grabbed his hand. “That’s a little over a week.”

Bentley cleared his throat. They looked out the window, watching as people walked past. It would be great if Bentley could make it known that he didn’t want to leave for Europe a single man. He wanted to be Kit’s boyfriend. He wanted to come back, hopefully with another competition win under his belt, and take Kit out. Show him an amazing shopping center, or have him over so that they could actually watch The Devil Wears Prada this time. Bentley would need a place of his own, first.

“Well, I guess I have to get used to you taking trips from time-to-time. You’re going to be the best in the world, Benny.”

Bentley looked him in the eyes. “As long as you know I’ll always come back to you.”

“Oh my god.”

Bentley laughed.  “Well, you’re going to be a world-renowned fashion icon. I’ll be dying trying to keep up with you.”

As Kit playfully rolled his eyes, the waiter came over, and they finally placed their orders for brunch.

??

So, Bentley was leaving for a couple days.

Well. A couple weeks.

Kit tried not to let the thought eat away at him. He was spending his time with a guy who happened to be a great talent. If they were to actually become a thing, time apart would be common. Kit would have to get used to it.

Still. Two weeks?

Bentley pulled to a stop in the beach’s parking lot. As he pulled the key out of the ignition, he turned to Kit and smiled. Kit allowed himself to stare, admiring beautiful grey eyes and the messy wild brown hair that stood tall on Bentley’s head – a style Kit was sure only he could pull off. He hoped that Bentley would make good on that promise to kiss him sooner than later, because since it’d been mentioned, it was just about all Kit could think about.

You know, besides the fact that he was leaving the fucking country for 14 days.

“You’ve been quiet since we left the restaurant. What’s on your mind?”

Kit looked away from him and down at his hands. There was a lot on his mind, but nothing that he wanted to bring up right now. “I’m just excited to be here. I’m having a good time.”

“Let’s keep the good times rolling,” Bentley answered. After a rather cheesy wink, he hopped out of the car, pulling his shorts a little higher to his waist. Kit didn’t mind seeing the waistband of his purple Adidas boxers, but he didn’t say it out loud. Instead, he climbed out of the vehicle as well, rounding the sedan so that he was side-by-side with Bentley.

“I’ve got some options for you,” Bentley began. “If you want to get shirtless and walk on the beach with me, we can go that way,” he said, pointing towards the shore.

Kit smiled as he glanced in that direction.

“However, if you’d like to go to the pier and have some good, wholesome fun, we can head in that direction.” Bentley gestured to the very crowded boardwalk this time, and Kit knew that was the safer option. For starters, he didn’t have any plans of taking sand back to his and Noah’s dorm room. And as delightful as it sounded getting shirtless with Bentley, walking along the boardwalk and going on a few rides sounded like a lot of fun.

“Let’s start off with the pier.”

Bentley nodded, accepting Kit’s extended hand with a smile.

They walked together quietly, reaching the boardwalk and dodging the crowd as much as they could. A couple times, Kit found that there were a few people staring. He didn’t know if it was because he was proudly holding another man’s hand or because maybe people recognized Bentley, but he hoped it wasn’t because they’d have to deal with homophobia. There was enough of that in Junction.

“We’re going on that rollercoaster.”

Kit looked up just in time to see a rollercoaster whiz by with tons of screaming people on it. He laughed. “No, we aren’t.”

Bentley rolled his eyes. “C’mon, Kitten.”

“Let’s make a deal,” he said. “We play a few games in this arcade. If I win more, I get to see the baby pictures that Ariel promised me I could see.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“What about if I win?”

Kit bit his lip and shrugged. “That won’t happen, of course. But, I’ll entertain the idea.”

Bentley licked his lips. “Oh, it won’t?”

“No. But let’s pretend that were a thing that would happen. What would you like?”

“Hm.” Bentley looked Kit up and down and stepped in a little closer. It made Kit blush as he stepped back, arching an eyebrow.

“Well?”

Bentley’s answer was one that threw Kit for a loop. He was expecting to hear something sexual with the way Bentley had been licking his lips and staring at him.

“You have to get on a ride with me. A ride of my choice.”

Kit considered it as he glanced into the arcade. There were tons of games in the small space, and while he wasn’t much of a video game player, he figured he could mash a few buttons and cheat until he came in first. How hard could it be?

Even if he did lose, how bad would it be having to go on a stupid carnival ride? Kit didn’t particularly like heights, but if he hated it too much, he imagined it’d be easy to guilt trip Bentley in to making him go up there, and he’d probably get some cuddles out of it.

Classic Win-Win situation.

“Deal.”

Bentley smirked. “Okay. Should we make rules?”

“We play 11 of the arcade games. Whichever of us wins the best of-11 will be the ultimate winner.”

“Spoiler alert,” Bentley began. “It’ll be me.”

“Doubt it.”

“Then let’s go…”

They played everything from Street Fighter II, to Galaga, to Ms. Pac-Man, and eventually they got on one of those racing games with the steering wheels and took note of who had the fastest time. Though Kit reminded Bentley it wasn’t fair, they faced one another in a hoop shooting game, then moved on to table hockey, and eventually played more fighting games. To take a break for all the competitiveness, the couple joined forces to fight zombies in one of those shooting games. Conveniently, Bentley’s gun ‘stopped working’ halfway through, and he found himself ‘helping’ Kit aim his gun at the screen. Kit laughed as Bentley pressed against his back; one hand wrapping around his midsection as the other guided his aim at the screen. There was a part of him that said they shouldn’t be doing this in public, but there was another part of him that said to relax. This wasn’t what he had back east. Bentley obviously wasn’t in to hiding their relationship.

When it was time to go back to facing off, Bentley was up 5 wins to Kit’s 4. Kit had to do something to come out on top. It was more of a pride thing for him than anything else.

They ended up playing Mortal Kombat, but right after adding the coins in the slot and choosing their fighters, Kit leaned over to whisper in Bentley’s ear.

“Remember how you said you thought about touching me earlier?”

Bentley froze for a few seconds, but he slowly turned to look at Kit. He nodded an answer.

“Where have you thought about touching me?” Kit asked. As Bentley stared at him blankly, Kit turned to the game and began to play. By the time Bentley realized what was happening, his character had already taken a bad beating and lost the first round.

Kit licked his lips, turning to face him again. “Aren’t you going to answer me?” he asked. “I’ll tell you what I dreamt about last night, and why I woke up hard…”

Bentley swallowed hard and looked at him again. “Yeah? What did you dream about?” 

Round two began, and just as before Kit went back to the video game. He tried not to laugh as he realized just how easy this was. Bentley’s brain had short-circuited.

“I was laying on your bed on my stomach. Fully naked,” he said, still mashing video game buttons. “And you were giving me this incredible massage. It felt so real…”

Bentley’s eyes grew darker.

“I won, by the way.” Kit smiled. “So, that’s 5-5 now, right? This is the tie-breaker and game winner! What do you want to play?”

Bentley looked at the screen to see that his Raiden had indeed gotten his ass kicked, and that he was definitely being played. He shook his head and stepped back from the video game. “You little shit.”

Kit smiled innocently. “I don’t know what you mean, Bentley. What game would you like to play last?” he repeated.

Bentley looked around the arcade Kit presumed for a game that was his specialty. After a few seconds, he pointed over to a game and started to walk off. Kit followed him over to Super Mario Bros.

“Whoever gets the furthest will be the winner.” Bentley folded his arms across his chest, and Kit blatantly stared at the muscles in his arms as they bulged. “You go first.”

Kit smiled. “Gladly. I’m actually really good at this.”

“Mhm.”

Kit added the coins and then began his game. He got far, and his Luigi reached the third level before he finally ran out of lives. Bentley moved him aside and smirked.

“Now, watch the pro.”

Kit rolled his eyes before standing beside him. “Sure.”

And just like everything else it seemed, Bentley was great at this, too. He was on the second level in no time.

Kit knew he had to do something.

He moved in close behind Bentley, his chin resting on the man’s shoulder. Bentley tensed a little, but remained focused on the game. Kit smirked.

“What’s wrong?”

Bentley shook his head. “You’re cheating. This is cheating.”

“What’s cheating?” he asked; his lips against Bentley’s ear. “Maybe I just want to be close to you.”

Bentley bit his lip as Kit subtly moved in closer. “Kitten…”

“Hm?” Kit’s hands played at Bentley’s waist.

“Shit.”

And just like that, Kit had come from behind and won their little competition. He stepped back with a wide smile and threw both hands in the air.

“YES! This means I get to see kid Bentley!”

Bentley watched his Mario fall off screen. He turned around slowly, shaking his head as he found Kit’s eyes. “You play dirty.”

“What?” Kit dramatically clasped his chest. “Moi?”

Bentley smirked. “So that’s how we’re doing this? Okay…”

“All is fair, Benny.” Kit grinned, swaying sexily as he walked off. He could sense his date following him out of the arcade and back onto the boardwalk, and he looked around for what they should do next.

“You cheated.”

Kit turned around and smiled. “I’m not a cheater. I was just making conversation. It’s not my fault you can’t focus.”

Bentley slowly began to smile back. “Let me win you a stuffed animal.”

Kit looked at him.

“Come on.”

??

So Kit liked to play dirty. Bentley was going to keep that in mind.

He was going to pretend everything was normal and be cute for now. You know, be an adorable date and win a few stuffed animals for Kit. But when Kit least expected it, he was going to go in for the kiss. He was going to make Kit melt. It was going to be the ultimate payback.

Bentley went over to a skeeball tent and bought a few balls. Kit stood beside him as he rolled each ball, giving him a total high enough to win a prize on his first try. He turned to Kit and asked which one he wanted, and Kit chose a stuffed Koala bear.

Next, Bentley took him over to the balloon bust. He dominated that as well, and the crowd around them cheered him on as he popped each balloon in record time. Kit was smiling, obviously in awe, and Bentley picked out a huge brown Teddy Bear for him. It was so humongous that Kit could barely wrap both arms around it.

Finally, they ended up at the ring toss, but Kit wanted to try and win Bentley something this time. Bentley stepped back, taking the Koala and Teddy from Kit so that he could work his magic.

Kit won the ring toss after a second try, and pointed to the prize immediately.

“Give me the Kitten,” he said.

Bentley smiled. It was an adorable striped-kitten toy, and once the employee handed it to Kit, he turned to face Bentley.

“Now, you’ll have a Kitten you can cuddle with when you’re on the road.”

Bentley could feel himself blushing as he accepted it. This was almost sweet enough to make him forget he was on a mission for payback. “Wow. You didn’t have to do that. This is sweet. I might hug you.”

Kit laughed, taking his gifts back. “Well, you didn’t have to do this. I’m going to cuddle with these two every night.”

Bentley ignored the fact that he was jealous over two stuffed animals and instead focused on the task at hand. He gestured over to a photo booth at the opposite end of the boardwalk. “Let’s take a few pictures to commemorate this beautiful day?”

Kit smiled. “Let’s do it.”

The line for the photo booths weren’t too bad. After three girls stepped out, Bentley carried his stuffed toy into the booth and slid over so that Kit could sit down. Kit had to sit his big teddy bear on the floor between them, and his koala on his lap.

“You ready?”

“How do I look?”

Bentley winked. “I’d hit it.”

Kit rolled his eyes. “Then I guess I’m ready. You look good too.”

“Would you hit it?”

“I’d hit it twice.”

Bentley smiled. He started up the machine, licked his lips, and took a deep breath. This was going to be the moment that really defined things for the two of them. He was ready to take things to the next level. “Let’s start off with big, cheesy grins!”

Kit chuckled, moving in close to Bentley’s side. The two of them grinned widely as the camera flashed.

“OK. Silly faces next,” Kit said.

Bentley threw an arm around Kit and crossed his eyes. Kit stuck out his tongue and scrunched his nose. The camera flashed.

“Now, show me that model pose,” Bentley said, smirking as Kit gave the camera a sultry look.

God. Could he get any more gorgeous?

After a 3, 2, 1, the camera flashed, and Bentley scooted closer to Kit.

“Two more poses!” Kit smiled as he pressed next on the screen. “Hm. What should we do now?”

Bentley turned to look at him and moved in. He brought a hand up to cup Kit’s face, urging him forward. Right as the countdown began, Bentley smiled, closing the distance and kissing Kit’s lips.

The kiss was a soft caress. The camera flashed right as Bentley closed his eyes, and he felt his heart pounding against his chest when Kit inhaled sharply and parted his lips. Neither of them pulled away after the initial contact, and their mouths slowly danced against one another’s. Eventually the camera flashed again, signaling the fifth and final photo, and Bentley smiled against Kit’s lips before pulling away completely.

Kit was stuck there, it seemed.

Bentley wasn’t in the right headspace to judge him. They sat there for what felt like hours looking one another in the eyes.

That was… it felt…

Yeah.

Bentley’s eyes moved lower to Kit’s lips. They were so supple and sweet, the softest pink, and still slightly parted. It wasn’t often that Kit was at a loss for words, and Bentley slowly began to smile when he realized he did that to him.

Fuck yeah, Bentley thought to himself. One kiss with Kit had him lightheaded. He wanted to go in for more and jump for joy at the same time.

Kit was still frozen.

Bentley smirked as he turned to look at the pictures. Wow, they were amazing. Oddly enough, the pride he felt right now at being able to make Kit Edwards space out from a single kiss was the same pride he felt at winning his first serious competition. Grinning to himself, he selected the button to print two copies.

“I don’t know about you, but I kinda love the fact that we have our first kiss captured forever.” Bentley slid one of the photo strips into Kit’s lap. “All of these pictures are beautiful, but you’re kinda sucking on my bottom lip in the last one. I think this might be my favorite.”

Kit finally showed a sign of life as he looked down at the photo strip.

Bentley smiled to himself. There was nothing quite like payback.

“I think you should go on the Ferris Wheel with me since you cheated in the arcade… it’s the least you could do.”

He watched as Kit shook the cobwebs from his brain. As much as Bentley didn’t want to be an asshole, he couldn’t help but smirk.

“Yeah. We can do that.”

“Yeah?”

Kit nodded. “Yeah.”

??

Bentley couldn’t tell you which way was up and which was down. After waiting to get on the Ferris Wheel for almost twenty-minutes, the two of them wasted no time picking up where they left off in the photo booth. As soon as the ride began, Bentley sat his stuffed kitten on the opposite side of the ride, slid over to Kit, and placed his mouth on his. Kit’s hands were on his face, pulling him in closer, and Bentley felt a tingle in his spine when Kit’s tongue slowly moved deeper and deeper between his lips.

Kit was hands-down the best kisser Bentley ever had the pleasure of kissing. There wasn’t a competition. The others weren’t bad, per se, but Kit’s lips… and the way his fingers stroked Bentley’s jaw line… and his soft moan when Bentley’s hand crept up his thigh…

Bentley knew he could do this all fucking night.

He had to calm down when he felt himself getting a little excited. Forcing his eyes open, he pulled away and took a deep breath. Kit smiled at him; his lips cherry red and skin blushed bright pink as he blinked a few times. Bentley wanted so much more of him…

“You taste really good.”

The words had Kit blushing even harder. “You can’t just say things like that.”

“After what you put me through in the arcade, I get to be honest.”

Kit bit his lip and looked away. They were at the bottom of the ride now, on their way back up. “Now that the English language has returned to me, I have to say. That was pretty sneaky of you.”

Bentley couldn’t have been more proud of himself. “Thank you. I regret not kissing you sooner.”

“Yeah. I feel like I’ve been missing out. Now you have to leave for two weeks.”

Fuck. That was true. Bentley didn’t want to think about leaving, but he was in a great place right now. His career was just beginning, he had a fan base, he was getting recognition, and pretty soon he wouldn’t have to worry about begging for places to stay. The two weeks would probably fly by, right?

Kit reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. “Mind if we get another picture? The view is beautiful from up here.”

Bentley smiled, wrapping an arm around him. “I’ll say… I could get used to this view and it’s gorgeous green eyes and blond hair.”

“You’re a cornball.” Kit couldn’t help but laugh, though. He held the camera up and leaned in close.

They took a few pictures, one of which included Kit kissing Bentley on the cheek as Bentley grinned like a kid in a candy store. Bentley tried to make him post that one to Facebook, but Kit told him he’d rather Bentley ‘come out’ before being tagged in a picture like that.

Bentley really didn’t care. People were going to find out sooner or later. May as well have been sooner. Besides, it wasn’t anyone’s business but theirs, and the way he saw it, if anyone had a problem, they could step to him about it.

“How about I post this one?” Kit asked, showing Bentley the photo where he held up bunny ears behind his head. Bentley smiled, but he preferred the photo with the kiss. Maybe Pistachio was into keeping their relationship hidden, but secrecy wasn’t Bentley’s MO.

He didn’t want to argue about it, so he obliged.

“It’s cute. I look like a foot, but you look amazing.”

“I’m ignoring you.” Kit looked out at the view of the ocean after posting the picture. He slid his phone away and took a deep breath. “I really had the best time with you.”

Bentley reached for his hand, holding it tightly in his own. The ride stopped, and their car was about fifty feet up from ground level. Bentley figured they were letting people off now. “You say that like our day is over.”

“It’s not,” Kit smiled. “But I do have some assignments to start. And Noah gave me a curfew.”

Bentley rolled his eyes. “Screw Noah.” They smiled at one another before Bentley continued. “So would you like for me to take you back to the dorm?”

Kit cradled Bentley’s hand in his. “Yeah. I better get back and be a responsible student.”

“At least one of us is.”

“Stop that.”

Bentley stuck his tongue out, and they patiently waited to be let off the ride.

The walk back to Donny’s car was quiet, but it also took longer than it should’ve. Maybe they would’ve gotten to the car in less than twenty-minutes had they walked there without stopping to make out behind the bottom level’s Merry Go Round, but neither of them seemed to be in a rush.

As he opened the passenger side door for Kit, Bentley said a silent prayer that the next couple weeks would fly by.