Shane had been glued to his phone most of the weekend.

The calls to Jesse and Millie’s parents had been emotional. Jesse’s mother was concerned at first, worried this would just make the bullying Jesse was going through worse. It had taken some gentle persuading to get her to admit the bullying wasn’t going to stop unless something was done about it anyway. In the end she had to talk things over with her child before she came around. He wasn’t sure what Jesse had told her, but he was proud of them for finding the courage to stand up for themselves. Their mother had sounded hopeful, even if she was obviously getting very emotional. He couldn’t blame her for being protective.

Talking to Millie’s father was a little easier, at least. He didn’t seem pleased about any of this, but had already accepted the fact that Millie was going to do what she put her mind to either way. Which, admittedly, was generally true about his daughter.

Relieved to have their approvals, he had texted Zach to tell him they were good to go ahead with the interviews Monday afternoon.

Seeing each other again must have gotten rid of both of their hesitations, as they had been texting each other consistently. Shane hardly put down his phone for more than ten minutes for most of Saturday and Sunday.

He couldn’t quite explain why texting with Zach was so captivating. They didn’t even end up talking about anything deep or complex. It was mostly silly things exchanged back and forth, the occasional picture or link sent. Shane found himself scrolling through Facebook and Instagram just so he could find things to send Zach, excuses to continue the conversation. And maybe because he liked to imagine they made Zach laugh or smile.

Christ, he felt like a teenager again. He hadn’t been this smitten by someone in a long time. It was difficult not to push things onto a more intimate path, but he was determined to let Zach decide what he needed at his own pace. So he made sure to keep his jokes tame and the conversation light. Even if he did spend most of Sunday night imagining how red Zach would turn if he sent him something naughty. Nothing too naughty. Maybe a sexy picture of himself shirtless.

Man, he’d love to see Zach shirtless.

But for now, his friendship with Zach was flourishing, and that was good enough.

Monday dragged by slowly. He kept glancing at the clock, counting down the hours until school would end and he’d be able to see Zach again. In between classes he would pull out his phone and skim through his and Zach’s conversation which had spanned over the past few days, rereading bits here and there. He had been asked a handful of times by curious students what he was grinning like an idiot over.

Choir practice at least went by fairly quickly. Music turned out to be the only way he could push his crush aside long enough to focus. The students were coming along quite well, at least. The Christmas Concert was less than a week away, so they jammed as much practice as they could into a two-hour period. He was pretty confident the concert was going to go off without a hitch Friday night.

When practice wrapped he picked up his phone to check the time and his texts. Zach had sent him one about ten minutes ago, saying he was on his way. Hidden Creek wasn’t a big town, so it probably meant he would be here soon.

He looked around the music room. Some of the students had already left, but there were a handful lingering along with Millie and Jesse. All of them were other members of the LGBT alliance, so he couldn’t blame them for wanting to stay and support their friends.

He set the phone aside and perched on the edge of a desk, looking to where the couple were sitting together. “Zach should be here soon. Are you two ready for this?”

Millie grinned. “Yeah. We’re good, Mr. H.”

Jesse nodded and smiled as well.

Shane smiled back, and it was only a couple minutes later that his phone buzzed again. He picked it up and saw it was Zach, proclaiming he was here.

“Be right back. Don’t burn anything down while I’m gone,” he teased, then made his way down the hall to the front doors. They would have been locked already by now, so Zach would need to be let in.

He saw Zach on the other side of the glass panels in the front doors, leaned over to peer through them with his hand shading his eyes. He grinned and waved enthusiastically as he saw Shane approach. He had a bag over one shoulder, and a Tupperware container under one arm that looked to be filled with cookies.

“Hey,” Zach said cheerfully once the door was opened, stepping into the front lobby. “Thanks, hopefully I haven’t made y’all wait or anything?”

“No, you’re good,” Shane assured, making sure the door was closed behind him before he led the way down the hall. “You do have more of a crowd than I had expected, but if you’re wanting to talk to Jesse and Millie alone, I can chase the others off.”

“If they’re okay with others being there, I don’t mind. So long as they’re able to speak for themselves and answer my questions. Glad I brought plenty of cookies.” Zach chuckled.

Shane smirked. “You seriously made some, huh? Homemade?”

“Of course they’re homemade,” Zach said with a mock offended scoff. “Only the best for you. Uh, and the kids.”

“Uh huh.” He couldn’t help but eye the taller man as they walked beside each other. It was touching that Zach cared about him and the students enough to take the time to bake for them. Also, it was fucking adorable.

He held the door to the music room open for Zach to step through.

“Hey Zach,” Gwen said from where her wheelchair was parked to the side of a table.

“Wait, is this the Zach?” Millie asked, eyeing the tall blond.

Zach blinked in confusion. “Ah… The Zach? I guess so?”

Shane felt his heart stop.

Of course Gwen would know he’d gone on a date with Zach. And that Zach worked at the newspaper. It was her and her family that had set them up on the blind date in the first place.

Shane cleared his throat loudly to try to gain control of the room before he had a wild pack of teenagers going into a romance fueled rampage. “Everyone, this is Zach Calton from The Hidden Creek Horn. He’s going to be helping us round up support to convince the Board of Education to change their minds regarding the Winter Formal restrictions. Please be polite and respectful.”

The students all looked properly chastised, and the greetings they gave Zach were more or less polite, even if most of them were grinning. Thankfully once Zach mentioned he’d brought cookies, they were distracted with gorging themselves on sugar.

Zach left the box open on a table, and Shane took a moment to lean over to peer at the pile of cookies. He couldn’t help but be impressed by what he saw. There were two different kinds: chocolate chip with walnuts, and sugar cookies made into the shape of snowmen. They even had icing on them and simple but cute decorations, outlining the smiley snowman face and stick arms on its body. He’d also taken the time to wrap up the sugar cookies in cling wrap, and written with Sharpie on it ‘No nuts.’ He didn’t think anyone in choir had a nut allergy, but it had been an incredibly thoughtful gesture.

He snagged one of each cookie to munch on while he watched Zach greet all of the kids.

Damn, these were good. Chewy, but not underbaked. Just the right amount of crispness around the edges. The sugar cookie practically melted in his mouth, and the other was packed full of gooey chocolatey goodness and crunchy nuts.

Something about the taste was familiar. He could almost close his eyes and feel a memory on the edges of his mind, a time when he was a small child and had eaten cookies similar to this. Handmade with love and care, filled with chocolate and perfectly baked.

Maybe his mom had made him cookies like this?

He shook his head free of the echoes of memory, focusing back on the present. He didn’t want to lose himself and not appreciate Zach’s cooking.

Zach had settled down in front of the teens by then, and was now pulling out a small digital audio recorder.

“This is going to record everything we say, so I have something to refer back to while I’m writing,” Zach explained. “But if there’s anything said that you don’t want published, you can let me know and it’ll be off the record. You have full control of anything I write, so say the word, and it’s like it didn’t happen. I’m here to let people know what you want said. Is that all right?”

“Makes sense. Okay,” said Jesse nervously.

Milled reached over to squeeze their hand. “All good with me, too.”

“Let’s get started then.” Zach smiled, then turned on the recorder and set it down beside them. He pulled out a notepad and pen as well, and Shane noticed a handful of questions and notes already scribbled on a page. Zach took a breath, then started into the interview.

The man before him wasn’t at all like the Zach he’d seen so far. He was used to Zach joking around and laughing almost nonstop, and when he wasn’t it usually was because he looked flustered or nervous. But this Zach was calm and confident. He guided the interview with ease, giving the two teens plenty of room to talk, but making sure he was ready with another question before any awkward silences could happen. Even when he was taking notes, he made it clear he was listening, giving them his full attention. His voice was soothing, yet he was able to root out key pieces of a conversation to focus on, carving through bullshit to get to the heart of an issue. Zach made sure the kids knew they had control, but his confidence was helping to build up theirs, and soon they were talking just as openly as they would have to Shane himself. Even Jesse was engaging and not holding back from speaking, which was a miracle in itself.

It was damn impressive.

The questions were more or less what Shane expected. Zach asked them about their experiences coming out in the school, and the events since then. Millie focused on the bullying, while Jesse focused on the fact most didn’t want to even attempt to understand them and their identity, preferring to remain ignorant. They spoke about how they didn’t feel safe or welcomed at the school. How they just wanted to be accepted and seen as normal like everyone else.

Shane nearly got choked up a time or two. It was incredibly moving to see them being brave enough to tell their story to the world. He couldn’t imagine how hard that was to go through, let alone for a teenager. And there were the others, who had offered soft words of encouragement or gestures of solidarity when it was needed.

He was so proud of all of them.

“I think that’s about all we need,” Zach said, looking over his notes. Then he leaned forward a bit, reaching to turn off the recorder while he smiled warmly. “You both did amazing. I’m going to do everything I can to help y’all get everything you deserve, okay? If you give me your emails, I’ll even send you a copy of the article before I get it printed, in case there’s anything you think I missed.”

They both nodded, looking a little emotionally exhausted, but relieved.

“I think you two totally deserve extra cookies,” Zach said, offering over the container, and grinning as the remaining cookies were snatched out. Like a light switch being flipped, he’d gone from professional Zach back to adorable Zach.

Shane stepped over and offered Jesse and Millie one armed hugs around their shoulders, giving them each a squeeze. “I’m really proud of you two, you know.”

“Thanks, Mr. H,” Jesse mumbled shyly, then took another bite of cookie.

“The stupid Board of Education isn’t going to know what hit ‘em,” Gwen spoke up with a huff.

He chuckled, stepping back to give the kids some space, and he turned to watch Zach put his notepad back into his backpack. “Thanks for coming, Zach. We all appreciate this a lot.”

“It’s not a problem at all,” he replied. “I’m happy to help. And it was nice to meet your students.”

“Sooo,” Millie spoke up, leaning forward in her chair. She waved the remaining half of her cookie towards Zach. “You should totally come to our Christmas Concert.”

“Oh! Yeah, you have to come,” Gwen agreed. The invitation was enthusiastically echoed by a few other students.

Shane looked back and forth between them, lips parting in surprise. Either Zach really had made an impact on them, or they were playing their hands at matchmaker, trying to make sure Zach and him spent more time together. Based on the sideways glances he was getting, it was likely the latter option.

Still, the thought of Zach coming to the concert was filling up his stomach with fluttering butterflies. To be able to share with Zach his passion, to show off all their hard work, made him feel both incredibly nervous and excited. Not to mention the concert was going to be held in Moore Wood, which was filled with romantic Christmas light displays this time of year.

Yeah, seeing Zach there sounded like an amazing idea.

He cleared his throat to add in, “Ah, yeah. If you would like to come, that’d be great. It’s this Friday night at Moore Wood. The concert is free, if you’d like to go?”

Zach was smiling widely, eyes bright with excitement as he looked around at the kids, then focused on Shane. “Are you kidding? I’d love to.”

Relief washed over him, but the butterflies continued to knock around inside him. “You won’t be disappointed. Everyone’s been working really hard, so it should be a great show.”

“Pfft, they have an amazing teacher, so…” Zach hesitated, then cleared his throat sheepishly. “I mean, I’m sure it’ll be great no matter what.”

Shane could feel eyes staring from around the room like he and Zach had just turned into their favorite soap opera. He wasn’t about to have the teens prying their way into his love life, or lack thereof, so he clapped his hands and coughed. “Right, so, it’s getting late. I’m sure your parents will be wondering what’s keeping you after so long. If anyone needs a ride, I’m happy to give one.”

“Aww,” a few mumbled, but most rose out of their seats and headed for the door.

“I texted Grayson, and he said he’d be here in a few minutes. Wanna wait outside with me?” Gwen spoke up, wheeling her chair over.

Zach looked down at her. “Totally, kiddo. You ready to go?” She nodded, and Zach looked back to Shane. “I’ll uh, see you soon then, right?”

“Friday, at the latest,” Shane agreed, stuffing his hands into his pants pockets to keep from fidgeting.

“Cool.” Zach nodded, “I’ll see you then.”

Their eyes lingered on each other long enough for him to catch a bit of color rising into the other man’s cheeks. Hell, even Shane couldn’t help but shuffle his feet a little, nerves getting the best of him.

“Ahem,” fake coughed Gwen. Zach stood straighter, then strode quickly over to the door to hold it open for Gwen, so she could drive herself out.

“See you,” Shane said, watching them go.

“Definitely,” Zach mumbled, giving one last glance back before he stepped out into the hallway after Gwen.

Shane leaned back until he was perched onto the edge of the desk, and let out a long breath.

Just friends.

They were just friends.

But he was pretty sure just friends didn’t look at each other like that.

He now had another reason to look forward to Friday.