Arranged

Nessa was nervous walking in to school. She had no idea why she had said yes to Shade last night. She hadn't even thought about it really. She just kind of went with the flow.
"Stupid flow," she muttered as she walked into first. Thankfully, she hadn't run into the twins this morning. They seemed to be running late, actually. But, either way, she wasn't ready to see Shade just yet.
A date, huh? What in the world was she thinking? She was married.
But Rhone cheated - technically - so why couldn't she?
But cheating was wrong. It doesn't matter if you like your husband or not. .
But she liked Shade. . . .
"Argh!" She slapped her cheeks, pushing away her dreary thoughts. There was no point in freaking out over it. She'd already given the okay.
Lifting her backpack higher, she walked in to her first period. Everything would be fine. It's not like anyone was going to make a fuss over one date.



Shade was making a fuss. Sade had to drag him to school this morning and, thanks to him not wanting to leave the house, they had been late and missed Nessa completely. Though he had found it extremely funny to watch his brother squirm over what he wore - finally - Sade was getting frustrated with his lack of ambition towards Nessa.
Luckily, he had all of second period to convince him to stop being so stupid. It's not like English mattered anyway when they had Nessa next class. And Shade was about ready to crawl out of his own skin. Which would be completely gross since he'd have to watch.
"Shade," he said for the twentieth time. "You gotta calm down. You look fine."
Shade smoothed a hand down his shirt for what seemed to be the hundredth time that day and ran a hand over his hair. "Are you sure? It doesn't look-"
"Like you're trying too hard?" Sade finished. He smiled at his brother, giving him a once-over. "I'd do you."
Shade smiled and relaxed. He knew that Sade would have told him if he looked like hell, so it was okay. And he hadn't tried all that hard. He'd just gone through his closet. Twice. Then through Sade's until he found a not-so-tattered pair of skinny jeans and one of Sade's designer shirts that didn't have a musical logo on it. Thankfully, this one was a black and white checkered flannel that he could throw a jacket over. Sade had even convinced him to smudge on some black eyeliner. Definitely not as much as his twin, but some.
He had to say he was pleased with the overall turn-out. "Thanks, Sade."
"No prob." Sade crossed his arms behind his head and leaned back in his chair. "So. . . Where you gonna take her first?"
And just like that, his nerves were back. Sade must have seen it written on his face, because he laughed and patted him on the back. "Don't worry so much. Things will turn out great. She won't be able to resist you. Hell, I barely can."
Shade rolled his eyes. "I'm glad one of you does. I have a feeling this is going to be a disaster."



Nessa was a bundle of nerves. But so was Shade, so Sade figured that made them even. But it was damn painful watching them outside the school gate after school. They had been okay during the day, though tension was thick enough to cut with a knife.
Sade let out a loud breath, making them both jump. "Okay! I can't take it anymore." He grabbed their wrists and stole their backpacks as Joshua pulled up. It seemed Nessa had forgotten to tell him she had a date, which was just perfect. He slapped their hands together, forcing them to lace their fingers. "There!" Sade said, slapping them on the back. "That's totally better. Now get on with your date and remember to have fun. You guys are still friends, so stop being strangers."
Nessa and Shade looked at each other then burst into laughter, the tension completely wiped away. What had they been thinking? Why were they so stressed over it? Of course they were friends first. That made it so much easier to have fun, because they knew it would be fun. Why they hadn't seen it before seemed strangely funny to them both.
"Right," Sade said, smiling and hefting their bags higher. "Well, I'm off." He waved at Joshua. "Heeey!! Joshy, wait up." He left Nessa and Shade on the other side other street and crossed to Joshua's limo.
"Hello, Sade," Joshua said with an amused smile. Sade always made him smile with his weird habits and bouncy nature. He was certainly glad he was one of Nessa's friends. "What's up?"
Sade flashed Joshua a wicked smile. "Do me a favor, gorgeous?"
Joshua laughed, taking Nessa's bag from the boy. "What kind of favor?"
Sade looked over his shoulder as Nessa and Shade walked down the sidewalk, hand-in-hand. "They're going on a date. I wanna follow 'em."
Joshua's head shot up from where he was bent over in the back seat and slammed into the car's roof. "Oww. Damn." He rubbed his head and squinted at Sade. "Nessa's going on a date with your brother?"
Sade crossed his arms and leaned against the limo. "You got a problem with that, Joshy?" His voice was low, filled with warning.
Joshua smiled easily. "Not in the least." He shut the back door. "I just never thought Shade would ever ask her out."
"He didn't."
Joshua raised his brows and led Sade to the passenger side. Like Nessa, he liked riding shotgun instead of in the back. "Oh?"
"Yup." Sade plopped into the seat and waited for Joshua to get behind the wheel before he continued. "I did. I pretended to be him and asked her out last night. Shade nearly died from embarrassment, but it was worth it."
Joshua was laughing as he started the car. "You're such a little devil."
Sade flashed a smile. "A cute one, thought, right?"
Joshua only winked at him, but Sade felt the blush slip into his cheeks. He looked away from Joshua quickly as he pulled the care out into the street.
"This favor you mentioned," Joshua said. "What is it exactly?"
Sade smiled wickedly, his eyes twinkling with mischief. The look made Joshua want to smile and lock him in a room all at the same time. "I want you to follow them, like I said."
Joshua was so surprised, he accidentally tapped on the brake, making the car behind them lean on their horn. "Pardon?"
"I want you to follow them," Sade repeated easily. "With me. We're gonna make sure they don't do anything completely stupid."
"Uh. . . " Joshua was at a loss for words, which seemed to be increasingly normal around Sade. So he said the only thing that was in his head. "I don't think following them in a limo would be what you call discreet."
Sade rolled his eyes. "No duh. You have a car, right? I mean, one that's not fancy or conspicuous. Let's use that. We'll park somewhere and follow them on foot."
Joshua frowned. He didn't like the idea of invading Nessa's privacy. "I don't think-"
Sade let out an exasperated breath. "Oh, come on, Joshy. I know you're curious, too." He smiled. "Besides, it'll be fun."
Sade had to confess that he'd come up with the idea on the spot as soon as he saw Joshua. An easy way to spend a few hours with a gorgeous man and try to get past Joshua's formal mask he always wore. Nessa had said he wasn't like that off-duty or with just the two of them, so he wanted to see what she meant. What the real Joshua was like.
"It'll get you out of that stuffy uniform," Sade wheedled.
That made Joshua give him a wicked smile, and he reached up to loosen his tie. Sade's heart fluttered. "Alright. We'll drop by Manor House, I'll grab a quick change of clothes, we'll get my car and get to stalking." He flashed Sade another smile. "Terry wants me to go to the store anyway."
"Terry?" Sade asked, swallowing down his heart, which seemed to have gone to his throat every time Joshua smiled.
"The cook."
"Oh," Sade said absently, staring at Joshua. He really was handsome.
Joshua shifted his grip on the wheel and glanced at Sade, concerned. "Everything okay, Sade?"
"Huh?" Sade shook himself. Woah. Joshua had rendered him speechless. That never happened. "Oh. Fine. Everything's fine." He crossed his arms, studiously keeping his eyes forward. He frowned. "Everything is just ducky."



"So-" "Hey-" Nessa and Shade tried. They both blushed in embarrassment then laughed.
"Right," Nessa said. This wasn't working. Time for phase two. "So, obviously we're in town. Are you going to stay quiet the whole time or can we have some fun?"
Shade laughed despite himself and pushed aside his embarrassment, bringing their linked hands up and kissing the back of hers. He smiled. "Alright. Have it your way."
Nessa laughed as he pulled her along throughout the day. Shade showed her the movie theater, the arcade - where they spent considerable time trying to beat each other at random games - and the shops lining the streets. It really was a commercial town. The streets were lined with store upon store of different goods. Bookstores, clothes, jewelry, toys, bakeries and random other novelty shops. And Shade made sure they stopped in each and every one he thought Nessa would like.
It was the best date Nessa had ever been on. And now they were resting at a local fast food place, talking.
"Do you think we should confront them?" Shade asked.
Nessa sucked on her shake and glanced behind him to the not-so-inconspicuous Sade and Joshua in "disguise". They'd only put on hats and glasses on, but they'd been trailing them for nearly three hours. Nessa had been watching them for a while now and something else was going on there. Sade and Joshua had been doing a bunch of laughing on their own and, for nearly an hour, they had seemed to have forgotten their original goal. Well, at least Sade had with the way he'd been staring at Joshua instead of the "target". Both Nessa and Shade had agreed that it was probably his idea in the first place.
"I don't know," Nessa answered. She shoved a french fry in her mouth and focused on Shade, her. . friend. She wasn't sure if they could be considered boyfriend-girlfriend yet. "But does Sade have a thing for Joshua?"
Shade raised his brows and quickly glanced over his shoulder to his little brother, who was staring at Joshua and chatting away happily. When he turned back around, his face held bewilderment. "I think he might. Joshua's not his normal type, though. And he's straight, isn't he?"
"I'm pretty sure he is." Nessa frowned. "He doesn't set my gaydar ringing."
Shade flashed a smile. "Mine, either. And from the looks of it, Sade feels the same."
Nessa placed her chin on her hand. "Poor Sade. First Rhone, now Joshua."
Shade laughed. "He's used to it. You really think he hadn't had a crush, or six, that didn't play for his team?"
Nessa smiled. "I guess. Would surprise me if he didn't."
Shade took a draw on his soda. "So are we gonna say anything to them?"
"I'd rather not. They seem to be having fun following us."
Shade grabbed her hand and pulled her out of her seat. He loved having the right to take her hand whenever he wanted. He flashed her a smile, silently thanking Sade for this opportunity. He figured the least he could do was repay his brother the same way. "Well, then, let's lose them."



Sade and Joshua were bent double, gasping in big gulps of air after trying to catch up to Nessa and Shade. Somehow, in the last ten minutes, they had lost them in the crowds that always formed while the sun set.
"We lost. . them," Joshua huffed, pulling off his hat and fanning himself. He flopped onto a concrete ledge surrounding the tree they were next to. "You wanna keep looking?"
Sade sat next to him, pulled off his own hat and leaned back. "I never could keep up with Shade. What do you think we should do, Joshy? I wanted to do some more spying."
Joshua smiled at the teen. He really liked Sade, as weird as he was. "I think we're done for the night. Next date, okay?"
Joshua watched as Sade's face turned red for some unknown reason. "Next date, huh?"
Joshua flashed a smile teasingly. "What? You don't want to do this again?"
Sade grinned. "I don't think I'd mind with you, Joshy."
He laughed, then sighed, leaning forward on his knees. "What do you say we go get something to eat? We forgot to at the last place."
Sade's eyes lit up. "Really?" He thought that since they had lost Nessa and Shade, Joshua would just want to go home. For once, he was glad he was wrong. "Can we?"
Joshua laughed and stood up. "Why can't we? Come on."
Feeling a little awkward, Sade followed him as Joshua weaved through the people cramming on the sidewalks. Sade got bumped and pushed into people and very soon lost sight of Joshua. Panic set in and he looked around wildly, trying to catch a glimpse of Joshua anywhere. He came up with a load of nothing but strangers.
"Ah!" he exclaimed when someone knocked into him especially hard, throwing him to the ground - which was hard to do considering he was six-foot, but the scrawniness didn't help much. "Ouch. Damn pushy people."
"Hey, Sade, you okay?"
Sade looked up and there Joshua was, looking concerned and extending him a hand. He came back. He'd actually came back.
"Jeez," Joshua said. Shade was totally sprawled out on the ground, his hat missing and lens-less, plastic glasses askew. "I looked back and you were gone. Freaked me out."
Sade blushed, grabbing his hand and accepting the help up. He sniffed, fixing his glasses.
"Shit," Joshua cursed in surprise. "Did the guy hit you that hard?"
Sade shook his head, wringing his hands and looking down. "I thought you left me." In this type of town, not many people responded well to his kind. He knew that.
"Left you?" Joshua was confused. Why would Sade think he'd leave? "What in the world for?"
Sade swallowed. This was it. They always left here. "I think it's obvious that I'm not your average guy."
"What are yo-"
"I'm gay!" Sade shouted, making people pause and whisper. Some laughed. He lowered his voice. "You can't tell me that's not obvious."
Joshua had no idea what was going on, but he knew he didn't want to do this in a public venue. "Yeah. It's obvious. So what?" He grabbed Sade's hand and dragged him behind him, making his way through the sea of people. When Sade tried to pull away, he gripped his hand tighter. "It's so I don't lose you again. Deal with it."
"But I-"
"I told you it doesn't matter!" he shouted, a little ticked. He gritted his teeth. "Come on."
More than a little shocked, Sade followed blindly. When they were seated in a booth at a local family restaurant, Sade sat quietly, trying to find interest in the menu. It wasn't until after they had ordered that Joshua broke the silence.
"Why are you so upset?" he asked, pushing aside his own anger. When dealing with over-emotional teens, he knew he had to stay calm.
It was a good question, Sade thought. He'd always just picked himself up and left without caring, just like everyone else. But he felt that if Joshua left, it would leave a scar. Or he would just get over it.
Sade sighed, ran his hands through his hair and groaned in frustration. Not lifting up his head, he said, "You know I'm gay, right?"
Joshua sipped at his iced tea. "You said that. Point, please."
Sade looked at him sharply. Point? What was the point? "I'm gay," he repeated, leaning on the table. "Doesn't that gross you out?"
Joshua shrugged. He had no idea what was going through the boy's head, but it obviously upset him. Joshua wondered how he fit into the equation. "Why would your orientation bother me?" He waited until the waitress left after bringing them their food, flashing the pretty girl a smile, before he spoke again. "It's got nothing to do with me."
Sade watched Joshua bite into his burger. A part of him was severely relieved at his answer, but it also brought a sharp pang to his chest. Right. Figured he was straight. The smile at the waitress had told him everything he needed to know.
"The fact that you're gay doesn't tell me why you started crying back there, Sade," Joshua continued.
Sade's heart hurt, but he managed a smile. What shot did he have with a nice, handsome guy like Joshua anyway?
"It's nothing," Sade said. He could deal with just friendship. He would have to. He liked Joshua just a little too much otherwise. He picked up his own burger and bit in. He flashed a smile. "Guess I was just hungry and disappointed that I didn't see Shade and Nessa do something juicy."
Joshua didn't think for a minute that that was it, but he let it go.
They changed the subject, laughing over the things they'd done that day or how Shade had tripped over himself trying to be cool. They were nearing the end of their meal when Sade began to feel that being just friends wouldn't be so hard.
"Oh, hey," Joshua grabbed a spare napkin off the table and reached out, catching the Katsup that had dropped from Sade's sandwich and onto his chin. He smiled. "You missed."
Sade swallowed past the lump in his throat and blushed from the soles of his converse to the roots of his hair.
Oh, fuck. Being friends was going to be harder than he thought.



"How do you think they're doing?" Nessa asked as she let Shade lead her to some large field that was filling with people searching for seats.
"Sade and Joshua, you mean?" When Nessa nodded, he smiled. "I think, knowing Sade, he's probably done something no one will understand, but it'll work out. They're probably just talking."
Nessa smiled softly. "Yeah. Probably." The fact that Sade was crushing on Joshua bothered her. Not because it was weird, but because it was obvious that Joshua's door did not swing that way. And, in the end, that was going to hurt them both.
Shade saw her dismal expression and knew what she was thinking. "Hey. It'll be okay. No love is a disaster. Just a learning opportunity." He laughed. "Well, that's what Sade tells me all the time, anyway."
Nessa rolled her eyes, but smiled. "Right. Look where that's got him. Crushing on my chauffeur."
Shade smiled, then stopped walking. "We're here." He'd dragged her through the field and over to a stone wall that was pretty tall. Frighteningly tall, actually. He pulled her around the side, away from the crowds view and up a makeshift set of stairs to the top of the wall. Making sure she wouldn't fall, he led her along the top to the middle and they sat down - after he'd shrugged off his jacket for her to sit on.
"What is this place?" she asked, looking around. It was just a large field with a lake view, but tons of people were gathering and trying to find seats on the grass. The fact that they were higher up and the only ones on the wall gave Nessa the feeling of a virtual privacy.
"It's Friday," Shade said, shrugged. He looked at his watch - an object that Nessa hadn't even known he owned, but didn't surprise her in the least - then held up a finger. "Three. . Two. . One. . " He flicked his finger, looked up at the sky.
Nothing happened.
Nessa tried to hold back the laughter, barely succeeding.
"Shut up," Shade groaned, completely embarrassed. He forgot that his watch was a few minutes fast. "It would've been fine if time kept up with my watch."
That did it. Nessa burst into laughter, grabbing hold of the wall so she wouldn't fall off. "You better get on asking the universe to fix that," she giggled.
Shade pouted. "Cut it out. It would've been really cool if it had worked."
Nessa wiped her eyes, her laughter dying down. "Alright. Haha. So what was supposed to happen, O' Time Keeper?"
Shade looked at her, tilting his head. After a minute, he said, "I was hoping to surprise you with something."
Nessa's heart kicked into high gear and she resisted the urge to swallow. His stare was really intense, making the air around them shift into something. . more. "Yeah? With?"
Shade dropped his eyes to her mouth. Something had changed. It was so subtle, but the air around Nessa seemed to shimmer. He leaned closer to her. "I don't want to show you that surprise anymore."
Their mouths were so close, she could feel his breath on her lips. "Oh? What surprise do you want to show me then?"
Shade's answer was exactly what they both wanted: His lips on hers. The kiss was soft and sweet. Nothing demanding or rough, just a lot of giving on both parts. It left them both shaking when they pulled apart.
BOOM!
Nessa's head flashed up at the noise as the sky lit up. "Oh!" she exclaimed in delight. "Fireworks! Awesome!!"
Shade smiled. He knew his cheeks were flaming red, and was grateful that it was dark and the only colors were the lights from the fireworks. He was a little disappointed that the moment had passed, though. He wanted to kiss Nessa again. To explore more of her. But he didn't want to embarrass either of them by coming right out and asking to.
Nessa placed her hand on top of Shade's on the wall, making him turn his head towards her. She surprised him by giving him another kiss, sending both their heads spinning.
"I thought you wanted to watch the fireworks?" Shade asked. Somehow, their arms had gotten around each other. Not that he minded in the least.
Nessa smiled, rubbing her nose against his. "I can see the fireworks all I want."
Shade's brows raised and he crooked a smile at her. "Yeah?"
"Sure," Nessa said confidently. Her eyes twinkled as she looked up at him. "All I've got to do is close my eyes and let you kiss me."
Shade's smile grew wide and he pulled her closer. "Well, then. We wouldn't want you to miss anything, would we?"