A day before the camping trip
Lucas had to come up with a bunch of excuses as to why he couldn’t hang out with Ronald after school. He intended to tell Ronald about him dating Ransley. Later. He intended to tell Ronald later. When the time would be right, he would tell Ronald. Unfortunately the time was not right at the moment, so excuses had to do. Weird thing was, Lucas didn’t feel as guilty as he could have.
The sun was shining and it still warmed up Lucas. The autumn hadn’t came yet and Lucas was glad. He didn’t want the summer to end. Did it have something to do with the fact that this summer Lucas had found someone? Perhaps. Would Lucas admit it out loud? Never. He walked happily towards the mall where he was supposed to meet up with Ransley.
Lucas texted Ransley that where he was, and got a quick reply which told him to look to his left. Lucas did and saw Ransley standing in front of a Chinese restaurant.
Lucas went over to him. “Are we having dinner here?”
“If you want to.”
“How did you know I love Chinese food?”
Ransley winked at him. “Because I’m smart.”
“Ransley!”
“Fine, I didn’t know. I just figured you might like it since you travel a lot and are probably used to different kinds of foods”, Ransley explained. “I got it right this time.”
“Good deducting skills you have”, Lucas said and nudged Ransley with his shoulder.
“Stop it”, Ransley chuckled and pulled Lucas inside the restaurant. They ordered their food, paid for it and then sat by the table waiting for it.
Neither one of them took their phones out. No, instead of being antisocial, they stared at each other and Lucas grinned.
“How come you always look so polished?” he asked.
Ransley laughed, making Lucas’ heart flutter.
“Polished? I wouldn’t say polished”, Ransley said and ran his fingers through his hair. “I just like to take care of myself.”
“But you’re not a snob.”
“That wasn’t a question”, Ransley pointed out.
Lucas chuckled. “No, it wasn’t. That was a statement. And it’s true, also. I would have never showed any interest towards you if you were a snob.”
“Good to know”, Ransley said. “I will make sure I will never become one.”
Lucas huffed and rolled his eyes.
“Honestly?” Lucas smiled at Ransley. “At this point you could tell me you think Eminem is not a rap god and I would still fancy you. That’s how deep in this I am.”
Ransley eyed Lucas and Lucas started regretting that he had revealed how much he already cared about Ransley. But then Ransley leaned over the table, pulled Lucas into a kiss and whispered against his lips: “I’m just as deep as you are.”
Lucas smiled but the moment was over soon because the waitress came with their food and cleared her throat. Ransley sighed and pulled away from Lucas. Lucas wanted to pout but he figured he was too old for that, so he just huffed quietly and thanked the waitress for their food.
They ate and talked about everything they could think of. Laughed and joked, and were having generally good time. They talked about their favourite movies (for Lucas that was Save The Last Dance, but if someone else would have asked, ihe would have lied it to be The Lord of the Rings -movies), TV-series, travelling destinations and foods. Lucas told Ransley that he didn’t drink alcohol, at all. Ransley told Lucas that he didn’t either. They tasted each other’s foods and talked about their future plans.
“Go on a date with me tomorrow”, Ransley said suddenly out of nowhere.
“A date?”
“Yes.”
“Aren’t we already on a date?” Lucas asked, amused.
“No”, Ransley said. “We are just having dinner.”
“I would love to go on an another date with you”, Lucas said and smiled, “but I’m going in to the woods with Ronald tomorrow, remember?”
“Too bad”, Ransley said. “Do you have to go?”
“It’s already done deal”, Lucas said, and eyed Ransley curiously. “Are you going to miss me?”
“Yes”, Ransley said bluntly, but Lucas had kind of expected that. It wasn’t Ransley’s style to beat around the bush. Ransley went always straight to the point and was sometimes painfully blunt but Lucas loved it. And he would never admit that his stomach did a flip at Ransley’s words.
“It’s only a few days”, Lucas said. “We can go on a date every weekend after that. And during the week too if you want.”
That made Ransley smile, but he looked a bit restless too. Lucas didn’t want to pressure him, so they proceed to talk about Lucas’ school and all the homework he was getting; which was a lot.
“You are smart”, Lucas said suddenly. “You could do my homework for me.”
“Why?” Ransley asked. “You’re just as smart as I am.”
They had finished eating so they had left the restaurant and were walking outside towards Poppy’s.
“I’m not. I’m book smart, you’re smart smart”, Lucas stated. He yelped when Ransley suddenly took a hold of his arm, pulled Lucas towards him and pressed their lips together. When Ransley pressed their foreheads together, Lucas asked: “What was that for?”
“I just… wanted to kiss you.”
Right then and there Lucas felt the need to confess to Ransley: confess that he had, in fact, fell for Ransley in one night. That he loved Ransley. But something held him back. He couldn’t say it. Maybe it was too soon… no, it was definitely too soon, they had known each other just a matter of weeks. But what was Lucas supposed to do? He couldn’t change how he felt. But despite of the strong feeling inside him, Lucas closed his mouth and shook his head and just said: “You’re so… precious.”
“Precious? Did you just call me precious?” Ransley laughed.
“Well you are”, Lucas said defensively. “My precious.”
“You’re not Sméagol, Lucas.”
“Let me quote him!”
“It’s creepy.”
“No, it’s nerdy.” Lucas swung his arm around Ransley’s shoulders which wasn’t easy since Ransley was taller. “Admit it, you like it when I go all nerdy on you.”
Ransley glanced at Lucas and Lucas could see how he was fighting against a smile. “You’re right, I do like it.”
“I knew it!” Lucas shrieked happily and gave a kiss on Ransley’s cheek, not really noticing that Ransley kept glancing around him.
They entered Poppy’s and ordered milkshakes and sat on their usual table. Lucas was so excited about tomorrow when he would go to the woods with Ronald. He looked forward to it because:
1. he loved camping.
2. he loved spending quality time with Ronald.
3. he would get to spend time away from his family (like, he had been with them abroad the whole summer, he needed a break).
And 4. he really wanted to go fishing and take one of those cliché pictures with the full moon.
“What are you thinking about?”
Lucas startled and looked at Ransley. “Tomorrow, actually.”
Ransley nodded, took a sip of his milkshake and looked around. “It’s quiet here.”
“It’s unusual”, Lucas admitted, looking also around quickly before winking at Ransley. “You know what?”
“What?”
“I think we could still turn this into a date.”
“How?” Ransley asked, clearly amused and curious to find out how.
“Wait here”, Lucas said mysteriously, got up and walked to the girl standing behind the desk. He leaned closer and whispered to the waitress’ ear, and she started smiling brightly. She nodded, looking excited and went to the backroom. Lucas spun around and flashed a wide smile to Ransley, who looked confused but also curious. He walked towards Ransley and as he walked, the song, Runaround Sue, that had played in the background quietly stopped and then Roy Orbison’s Ooby Dooby started playing, louder than the other song before.
Ransley’s mouth dropped open. “No way!”
“You told me you love to dance to rockabilly songs”, Lucas said and extended his hand to Ransley. “Well guess what? I’m self-taught rockabilly dancer.”
“What–“
“No one knows”, Lucas said and smiled. “You’re the only one.”
“Lucas...”
“Shut up and dance with me, Ransley.”
Ransley smiled, took a hold of Lucas’ hand and then Lucas pulled him up to his feet and then, as the few people that were in Poppy’s that evening stared at them, they danced together and both of them smiled wider than ever before, forgetting everything else.
When the music stopped and they leaned to each other, trying to catch their breaths, the people in Poppy’s started clapping.
Lucas laughed and kissed Ransley’s cheek.
“Good dancing”, Lucas whispered to him.
Ransley smiled. “Right back at ya.”
Lucas had to come up with a bunch of excuses as to why he couldn’t hang out with Ronald after school. He intended to tell Ronald about him dating Ransley. Later. He intended to tell Ronald later. When the time would be right, he would tell Ronald. Unfortunately the time was not right at the moment, so excuses had to do. Weird thing was, Lucas didn’t feel as guilty as he could have.
The sun was shining and it still warmed up Lucas. The autumn hadn’t came yet and Lucas was glad. He didn’t want the summer to end. Did it have something to do with the fact that this summer Lucas had found someone? Perhaps. Would Lucas admit it out loud? Never. He walked happily towards the mall where he was supposed to meet up with Ransley.
Lucas texted Ransley that where he was, and got a quick reply which told him to look to his left. Lucas did and saw Ransley standing in front of a Chinese restaurant.
Lucas went over to him. “Are we having dinner here?”
“If you want to.”
“How did you know I love Chinese food?”
Ransley winked at him. “Because I’m smart.”
“Ransley!”
“Fine, I didn’t know. I just figured you might like it since you travel a lot and are probably used to different kinds of foods”, Ransley explained. “I got it right this time.”
“Good deducting skills you have”, Lucas said and nudged Ransley with his shoulder.
“Stop it”, Ransley chuckled and pulled Lucas inside the restaurant. They ordered their food, paid for it and then sat by the table waiting for it.
Neither one of them took their phones out. No, instead of being antisocial, they stared at each other and Lucas grinned.
“How come you always look so polished?” he asked.
Ransley laughed, making Lucas’ heart flutter.
“Polished? I wouldn’t say polished”, Ransley said and ran his fingers through his hair. “I just like to take care of myself.”
“But you’re not a snob.”
“That wasn’t a question”, Ransley pointed out.
Lucas chuckled. “No, it wasn’t. That was a statement. And it’s true, also. I would have never showed any interest towards you if you were a snob.”
“Good to know”, Ransley said. “I will make sure I will never become one.”
Lucas huffed and rolled his eyes.
“Honestly?” Lucas smiled at Ransley. “At this point you could tell me you think Eminem is not a rap god and I would still fancy you. That’s how deep in this I am.”
Ransley eyed Lucas and Lucas started regretting that he had revealed how much he already cared about Ransley. But then Ransley leaned over the table, pulled Lucas into a kiss and whispered against his lips: “I’m just as deep as you are.”
Lucas smiled but the moment was over soon because the waitress came with their food and cleared her throat. Ransley sighed and pulled away from Lucas. Lucas wanted to pout but he figured he was too old for that, so he just huffed quietly and thanked the waitress for their food.
They ate and talked about everything they could think of. Laughed and joked, and were having generally good time. They talked about their favourite movies (for Lucas that was Save The Last Dance, but if someone else would have asked, ihe would have lied it to be The Lord of the Rings -movies), TV-series, travelling destinations and foods. Lucas told Ransley that he didn’t drink alcohol, at all. Ransley told Lucas that he didn’t either. They tasted each other’s foods and talked about their future plans.
“Go on a date with me tomorrow”, Ransley said suddenly out of nowhere.
“A date?”
“Yes.”
“Aren’t we already on a date?” Lucas asked, amused.
“No”, Ransley said. “We are just having dinner.”
“I would love to go on an another date with you”, Lucas said and smiled, “but I’m going in to the woods with Ronald tomorrow, remember?”
“Too bad”, Ransley said. “Do you have to go?”
“It’s already done deal”, Lucas said, and eyed Ransley curiously. “Are you going to miss me?”
“Yes”, Ransley said bluntly, but Lucas had kind of expected that. It wasn’t Ransley’s style to beat around the bush. Ransley went always straight to the point and was sometimes painfully blunt but Lucas loved it. And he would never admit that his stomach did a flip at Ransley’s words.
“It’s only a few days”, Lucas said. “We can go on a date every weekend after that. And during the week too if you want.”
That made Ransley smile, but he looked a bit restless too. Lucas didn’t want to pressure him, so they proceed to talk about Lucas’ school and all the homework he was getting; which was a lot.
“You are smart”, Lucas said suddenly. “You could do my homework for me.”
“Why?” Ransley asked. “You’re just as smart as I am.”
They had finished eating so they had left the restaurant and were walking outside towards Poppy’s.
“I’m not. I’m book smart, you’re smart smart”, Lucas stated. He yelped when Ransley suddenly took a hold of his arm, pulled Lucas towards him and pressed their lips together. When Ransley pressed their foreheads together, Lucas asked: “What was that for?”
“I just… wanted to kiss you.”
Right then and there Lucas felt the need to confess to Ransley: confess that he had, in fact, fell for Ransley in one night. That he loved Ransley. But something held him back. He couldn’t say it. Maybe it was too soon… no, it was definitely too soon, they had known each other just a matter of weeks. But what was Lucas supposed to do? He couldn’t change how he felt. But despite of the strong feeling inside him, Lucas closed his mouth and shook his head and just said: “You’re so… precious.”
“Precious? Did you just call me precious?” Ransley laughed.
“Well you are”, Lucas said defensively. “My precious.”
“You’re not Sméagol, Lucas.”
“Let me quote him!”
“It’s creepy.”
“No, it’s nerdy.” Lucas swung his arm around Ransley’s shoulders which wasn’t easy since Ransley was taller. “Admit it, you like it when I go all nerdy on you.”
Ransley glanced at Lucas and Lucas could see how he was fighting against a smile. “You’re right, I do like it.”
“I knew it!” Lucas shrieked happily and gave a kiss on Ransley’s cheek, not really noticing that Ransley kept glancing around him.
They entered Poppy’s and ordered milkshakes and sat on their usual table. Lucas was so excited about tomorrow when he would go to the woods with Ronald. He looked forward to it because:
1. he loved camping.
2. he loved spending quality time with Ronald.
3. he would get to spend time away from his family (like, he had been with them abroad the whole summer, he needed a break).
And 4. he really wanted to go fishing and take one of those cliché pictures with the full moon.
“What are you thinking about?”
Lucas startled and looked at Ransley. “Tomorrow, actually.”
Ransley nodded, took a sip of his milkshake and looked around. “It’s quiet here.”
“It’s unusual”, Lucas admitted, looking also around quickly before winking at Ransley. “You know what?”
“What?”
“I think we could still turn this into a date.”
“How?” Ransley asked, clearly amused and curious to find out how.
“Wait here”, Lucas said mysteriously, got up and walked to the girl standing behind the desk. He leaned closer and whispered to the waitress’ ear, and she started smiling brightly. She nodded, looking excited and went to the backroom. Lucas spun around and flashed a wide smile to Ransley, who looked confused but also curious. He walked towards Ransley and as he walked, the song, Runaround Sue, that had played in the background quietly stopped and then Roy Orbison’s Ooby Dooby started playing, louder than the other song before.
Ransley’s mouth dropped open. “No way!”
“You told me you love to dance to rockabilly songs”, Lucas said and extended his hand to Ransley. “Well guess what? I’m self-taught rockabilly dancer.”
“What–“
“No one knows”, Lucas said and smiled. “You’re the only one.”
“Lucas...”
“Shut up and dance with me, Ransley.”
Ransley smiled, took a hold of Lucas’ hand and then Lucas pulled him up to his feet and then, as the few people that were in Poppy’s that evening stared at them, they danced together and both of them smiled wider than ever before, forgetting everything else.
When the music stopped and they leaned to each other, trying to catch their breaths, the people in Poppy’s started clapping.
Lucas laughed and kissed Ransley’s cheek.
“Good dancing”, Lucas whispered to him.
Ransley smiled. “Right back at ya.”