Your Life Is a Map With No Compass

“Jack, stop it! Stop it stop it stop! Oh god!” Zack is laughing wildly as I dig my fingers into his sides and his neck, pinned below me on the couch in the front lounge, both of us in only our boxers. He has a sunburn on his shoulders and on his chest, the tan line mirroring that of the neckline of a tank top. His hair is messy and strewn out onto the couch cushions below him like a halo. The tattoo he got recently is finally healed, the tan skin of his arm covered by the image of a ship. He looks perfect.
“Never, you asshole! You’re the one who ate my Cookie Crisp!” I position myself so that I’m straddling him, my ass resting directly on his cock.
“I’m sorry! I was hungry and tired of protein powder!” Zack manages to push me off of him, and I land in a heap on the floor of the bus. “You eat other people’s food all the time! Now you know how they feel!” Zack stands up on the couch and jumps over me, running into the bunk area just as Mike and Jaime from Pierce the Veil walk up the stairs and onto are bus with Rian trailing behind them.
“Zack, come back here you little fucker!” I don’t run after him though, giving me a second to catch my breath.
“Hold on! Lemme get dressed!” I hear the sound of a suitcase being unzipped and the rustling of clothes as Zack digs through it, no doubt looking for his favorite red and black hoodie.
“Hey Jack,” Jaime nods at me with a smile and then sits down on the recently vacated couch, our T.V. remote already in his hand. “Hi Zack!” He yells, just as Zack walks back in, dressed in a pair of basketball shorts and, of course, his red hoodie. He sits down next to where I’m sprawled out and lifts my head up, then scoots over to where it used to be and puts it back down so that it’s resting in his lap. I can still feel his dick through his shorts. He leans back so that his back is resting against the couch.
“Hi Jaime, hi Mike.” He smiles at both of them. “Good show tonight, guys.”
“You too.” Mike says as he sifts through our movie collection. “All of you were spot on.” I stiffen the tiniest bit at that comment. Zack, being autistic, has was lower self esteem than the rest of us, and takes compliments about as well as a sixteen year old girl on Tumblr. But he just smiles and says thanks, then starts to run his hands through my sweaty hair.
I almost moan at the feeling. Zack isn’t usually the one to initiate this kind of affection, and doesn’t really like it when I do. But something about him is different tonight. His smile is wider, his hands aren’t shaking like they sometimes do when other band members come on the bus because he’s afraid they’re going to mess something up, and his hands aren’t covered in scratches and scabs, like they almost always are. He looks happier, and healthier.
“Zack,” I sit up and scoot over so that our shoulders are touching, and lay my head on his shoulder. “What’s up with you tonight?” I talk in a whisper so that the others won’t hear. “You seem…happier.”
Zack smiles at that. “I am, because I know that you like me, and I like you.” I gasp. Wow. I didn’t expect it to be that simple. After Zack slipped up and told me that he liked me, he’s been avoiding the subject like it’s the bus bathroom when Flyzik hasn’t cleaned it in a while. I’d been trying to figure out the right time to bring it up, but I hadn’t found the right way to do it yet.
And now, here Zack is, bringing it up all by himself. If I wasn’t internally jumping for joy right now, I would be wicked proud of him. I lean forward, so that my nose is touching his. “Really?”
Zack nods, his hand finding mine in between our bodies. “Yeah.” Oh, I want to kiss him so badly. It’s not the right time though. Not yet. So I just settle for the feeling of Zack’s body pressed against mine and his thumb rubbing my own as we watch Mean Girls and listen to Rian recite every line.