Bentley double-parked in front of Kit’s dorm building. The radio was playing an old Maroon 5 song, and Kit found himself humming along with a soft smile on his face. He couldn’t have prayed for their day to go any better. As he clutched his new stuffed animals, Bentley reached across the center console and grabbed Kit’s hand.

Kit turned to him, teasingly biting his lower lip. “I guess this is goodnight?”

Bentley began to smile. The sight alone was enough to make Kit weak in the knees. Bentley was the kind of handsome that should’ve come with a warning. You were bound to think about that gorgeous smile and those stupidly beautiful eyes all night after a single conversation with him. Imagine what it was like after spending the past hour making out with the guy…

Kit knew he was in trouble.

“That depends,” Bentley finally began. “Do you want me to leave?”

It was still early. Kit wasn’t in a rush to call it a night just yet, but the responsible part of him knew that he had coursework that needed to be completed. With a long sigh, Kit turned to Bentley.

“I had an amazing time today. I’m so glad I got my head out of my ass and let myself enjoy spending time with you.”

Bentley chuckled softly. “I can sense that there’s a but coming…”

Kit looked down at their hands. “As much as I would love for you to come up and spend time with me, I do have a lot of work I’ve been neglecting this weekend.” He stopped for a moment, glancing out at campus to see all the students that were returning from their weekends at home. He turned to Bentley once more, a hopeful look on his face. “Maybe we can do this again soon?”

“I think we should,” Bentley answered. His eyes were on Kit’s lips, and Kit licked them subconsciously.

“Alright. So you’ll text me?”

Bentley’s only answer was a smile. He reached into the backseat for Kit’s big teddy bear, pulling it into his lap as best he could. “Let me walk you to the building. I have something I need to ask.”

“Okay.” Kit watched him get out first before grabbing his stuffed koala and hopping out of the crossover vehicle. He slammed the door and moved to the sidewalk.

Bentley stepped up onto the curb and wasted no time reaching out for his hand. Kit hated how warm and tingly he felt inside. He felt like an 11-year-old who got excited at the thought of holding a cute boy’s hand. What was Bentley doing to him?

It wasn’t hard to notice that eyes were slowly starting to turn towards them. Kit understood why. He was this dorm building’s flamboyant gay, and he was walking hand-in-hand with the very masculine Bentley Williams. Of course people were going to be nosy. Kit just wished people were as uninterested right now as they’d been earlier at the pier.

“What did you want to ask?”

Bentley was looking around, too. He turned his attention to Kit once they got to the entrance of the building, and turned him around so they were face-to-face. Bentley placed the teddy bear beside them, and his hands found Kit’s waist. He looked him in the eyes.

“You had fun today, right?”

Kit nodded obviously. “I had what was easily the best time I’ve had since coming to California.”

Bentley looked impressed. “And… would you say that nine times out of ten you enjoy the time we have together?”

Kit was starting to grow suspicious. He nodded, staring Bentley in his eyes. “Ten times out of ten, normally. Where are you going with this?”

“I want to be with you,” Bentley blurted out. When he realized how blunt he’d said it, he took a quick breath. “This is a speech I practiced in the mirror this morning before even coming to pick you up today. But then today happened, and I think I have so much more to say.”

Kit stared at him; his lips parted slightly. Bentley moved in the rest of the distance and kissed the corner of his mouth softly. The kiss was barely there, but perfect. He pulled back and smiled.

“First things first, I know that you have always been into guys, and this is new for me, so there may be some reservations on your end.” Bentley’s hands began to roam around Kit’s waist as he spoke. “You’re probably wondering if I’m going to back out at some point… or you may think I’m playing with your emotions. Truth be told, I’ve never felt what I feel for someone the way I feel for you, Kit. I wake up thinking about you, I go to sleep thinking about you –”

“What do you think about?” Kit asked.

Bentley began to smile. “I used to think about what it’d be like to kiss you. I know that now.”

Kit blushed. “I hope you like it…”

“I more than like it. I’ve thought about what it’d be like to be your boyfriend. Learning to cook so that I could cook for you. Taking you to the movies. Teaching you to surf. Shopping for some fly ass kicks with you.”

Kit began to laugh. Their tastes in fashion were different, but Kit liked the idea shopping together.

“If we’re being honest, I’ve thought about… being intimate with you. Learning what you like. Teaching you what I like. Staying in bed until four in the afternoon on Sundays. I’ve… I don’t know. Maybe… maybe it’s just a really intense crush, right?”

“Maybe.” Kit smiled.

“Maybe.” He took a step back and put his hands in his pockets. “I’ve considered this too – maybe I’m just enamored by this attractive, brilliant guy who came from the middle of nowhere in Ohio and helped me deal with a particularly trying moment in my life. He was there when I didn’t really have anyone, and I confused feelings of gratitude with being attracted to him. Right?”

That was one of Kit’s fears. What if Bentley was just confused? He nodded. “Maybe.”

“Or… maybe you were supposed to come here, and I was supposed to meet you. Imagine if we were made for each other, Kit, but being that you and I are so different, we let fear get in the way of the two of us.”

“Fear?” Kit asked. “What do you have to be afraid of?”

“The only thing I’m afraid of right now is you telling me that you’d rather be friends.” Bentley looked him in the eyes. “I would hate that. Don’t get me wrong – I’d respect your choice, but I’d hate it.”

Kit wasn’t fond of that choice. “So what do you suggest?”

“I suggest you think about the possibility of a two of us.”

“And what if I told you I already have?”

Bentley looked at him.

“I’ve been thinking of that possibility for a while now. Probably since you asked me on the rooftop would I consider dating a guy whose dated girls in the past. I’ve hated myself for thinking about it, but I couldn’t stop myself.”

“Do you hate yourself now?”

“No.” Kit placed the other stuffed animal down and crossed his arms. “Not at all. If today was a glimpse of what we could be going forward, I’d be an idiot to deny myself. But, of course, in the back of my mind there are still these fears. And I think it’s because of how much I like you, Benny.”

Bentley nodded. “I understand that.”

Kit looked at him. “Do you?”

“I do. This is scary for me. Imagine waking up tomorrow and finding that you have feelings for Tawny. Wouldn’t that shake you a little?”

Kit couldn’t help but laugh, and he loved the way Bentley smiled at him as he did so. “Uh. Just a little, I think.”

Bentley nodded. “That’s the closest thing I can compare this to. I like a guy, and he’s all I can think about, and it’s … new for me.” He stopped for a moment, smiling as he thought. “You know how it is when you’re little. You’re growing up and imagining your future family. Mine included a wife and some kids. A house. Picket fence. The works.”

“Yeah.” Kit leaned back against the building. A couple walked in past them, only eavesdropping for a few seconds before continuing.  Kit waited for Bentley to continue, and he didn’t disappoint.

“Now, I can easily see a future with the house and the kids, but with you instead. My friends are your friends. Your dad is one of my favorite people. We mesh well. I can talk to you about anything and not get bored.”

“You love watching anime, I love watching anime,” Kit added.

“Exactly!” Bentley exclaimed.

“We both know pineapple doesn’t belong on pizza,” Kit continued,

Bentley rolled his eyes. “That’s blasphemy and you know it, Edwards.”

Kit smiled.

“I think the scary part for me is knowing that my idea of my future changed so easily after meeting you and it doesn’t even faze me. That’s what scares me.”

“So…” Kit trailed off, not knowing how to finish his thought. He wanted to ask if Bentley was sure of what he wanted. If he thought this was just a phase, or if he wanted it to be a thing. He wasn’t sure how to express all of this. “You’re serious about an us? Like… things aren’t going to be the same dating me as it was Zoey.”

“Thank God.”

Kit smiled. “That’s not what I mean –”

“I know what you mean,” Bentley said. “But at the end of the day, the only people in our relationship is you and me. That’s all there is to it.”

Kit shook his head. “You’re in the public eye. Maybe not on a Lebron James level, but you are regardless.”

Bentley nodded. “I hear you.”

“And while the world outside of Junction, Ohio, may be a little more tolerable, there will be people who aren’t. I just… I don’t want you having to go through what I’ve faced –”

“Christopher,” Bentley interrupted. Kit looked up at him with wide eyes.

“Yes?”

“Will you be my boyfriend?”

Kit smiled before looking away. “Benny…”

“We deserve a chance. You know we do.”

“Come here,” Kit said, reaching out to him and pulling him forward. Bentley looked down at Kit’s hands clasped in his shirt as he stepped in close. “Can you promise me one thing before I give you my obvious answer?”

Bentley smiled. “What do you need, beautiful?”

Kit ignored his blush to continue. “We talked about this already, but I need you to promise me that regardless of what happens, we can still walk away as friends. I really, really do not want to lose your friendship.”

“You won’t have to worry about losing me as anything,” Bentley whispered. He kissed Kit again and wrapped his arms around him. “Now, I don’t want to rush you, but I am double parked and you do have homework…”

Kit laughed as he wrapped both arms around Bentley’s neck. “We’re attracting an audience just so you know…”

“I see nothing and no one but you.”

“And you really want to go steady with me, Bentley Williams?”

Bentley laughed, placing a kiss to Kit’s jaw. “I want this. We owe it to ourselves to see where this goes. You know we can be great together.”

Kit nodded. “I know.”

“So, are you my boo now or what? What’s up?”

Kit grinned, accepting another kiss. “Nothing is up. I’m just hanging out on campus with my adorable, BMX boyfriend.” Kit smiled at the way Bentley’s arms immediately tightened around his waist. “Sucks that he can’t stay and hang out with me. We could kiss for another hour or two.”

“Don’t tempt me. I’ll move back in.”

Kit burst out laughing, and Bentley kissed him to interrupt it. They smiled into it before Bentley pulled back.

“Your boyfriend is a lucky guy. I bet he knows that.”

Kit grinned. “His boyfriend is even luckier.”

Bentley leaned in to kiss him. This kiss was directly on the lips, and lasted a few seconds longer than the last one. He pulled away and smiled. “When can I see you again?”

Kit sighed. “Busy week for me with work and stuff. If you come over Thursday night for Noah and my movie night, you’ll get to watch an action film with us and Jonah.”

Bentley smiled. “Sounds good to me, boyfriend.”

“Okay, boyfriend. I’ll see you then?”

“You will.” Bentley let Kit kiss him this time, smirking when he was playfully shoved away. He ended up taking a few steps backwards towards his uncle’s car and watching as Kit picked up his stuffed toys. Kit tried to ignore all the people who’d been watching them, but he could practically feel the heat from their eyes.

“Bye, Benny. Tell my dad I love him, and call me when you get in.”

Bentley winked at him. “I will.”

“Alright.” Kit waved goodbye.

He waved the entire time until Bentley finally got in the car. Then he turned and entered the building, calmly entered the elevator, calmly walked to his room, calmly walked inside, and then lost his shit. At some point in his flailing celebration, he stumped his toe on the desk and then knocked over Noah’s water bottle. It was all worth it.

[B] Hey, boyfriend. I just wanted to let you know, your butt looked so grabbable in those jeans today. I feel like I can say that freely now, right? We’re dating.

Kit flopped back on his bed with a huge smile.

Boyfriends.