Secondhand

“Glad we finally got that out of the way!” Shayley exclaimed from his doorway.

“What?” Austin and I asked in unison.

“Are you both serious? It's taken you this long to realize your feelings for each other? Really?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Austin, this is pathetic. You've liked Alan for months. I'm shocked it's taken you as long as it has to figure it out. I'm not wrong am I?”

“No,” he said quietly.

“Exactly. And Alan, you've liked him since he cleaned up your cuts from getting jumped, right?”

“How do you even know about that?”

“When you left a few months back, Austin told me everything that happened. I haven't seen him so sad in years. I haven't seen him cry in years, either. But it's true, isn't it?”

“No. It was before then. I made you cry?” I directed my question to Austin.

He nodded, looking embarrassed.

“Oh, Aus. I'm so sorry.”

“I think I'm going to leave you two alone. Maybe I'll see if Tyler is busy. Yeah. Anyways, you have fun, but not too much fun.”

He smirked and winked before grabbing his keys and leaving the apartment.

“I really hate him.”

“That's not important,” I said, moving to sit in his lap again. “I really made you cry?” I asked, resting my head on his chest.

“Uh, yeah. I didn't think I'd ever get another chance with you.”

I put my arms around his torso and squeezed a little.

“I'm sorry,” I whispered.

“Don't be. You're here now and that's really all that's important to me.”

I blushed, but shifted so that I was facing him.

“You're really cute when you blush,” he said, smiling.

Of course, I blushed again and tried to hide my face in his chest. When I looked back up, he was staring at me.

“What?”

“Alan?”

“Y-yeah?”

“You're cute when you stutter, too,” he giggled. “But can I ask you something?”

I nodded.

“C-can I kiss you?”

I nodded again, knowing I couldn't form a coherent sentence at this point. He put his hands on my hips and pulled me a little closer. He leaned up towards me and I let my eyes fall closed. This was really going to happen. This was going to happen.

Before he reached my lips, he kissed my nose. I smiled and opened my eyes as the front door flew open. You have got to be kidding. Something in the universe must be against us. We both turned to see who had interrupted us this time.

“Shayley, for fuck's sake.”

“I forgot my phone! In my defense, I wasn't expecting to have this deja vu moment. I was gone for like, three minutes.”

“Get your phone and go, please,” Austin sounded exasperated.

I laughed because everything about today had just been so ridiculous.

“What's so funny?”

“What's not?”

“You're insane,” Austin replied, but he was smiling.

“Okay, I want whatever he's on.”

“Shayley, go.”

“Alright, alright. Lucky for you, I can tell when I'm not wanted somewhere.”

“Can you really?”

“I can, I can.”

“No, you can't.”

“Well, then!”

“Shayley!”

“Going, going,” he said as he walked to the door. “Gone,” he laughed as he left.

“What a freak,” Austin mumbled, laughing a little. “I believe we were in the middle of something, right?”

“I think so.”

Austin's hand moved to my face.

“Fuck,” he mumbled.

“What?”

“This cast.”

He was really choosing now to whine about the cast?

“What about it?”

“How am I supposed to hold you as close as I want you to be with only one arm?”

I pressed myself closer to him.

“Better?”

“A little, I guess.”

“Jesus Christ, just kiss already!” Shayley yelled from outside the door.

“Get the fuck out of here Shay!” Austin yelled back.

Shayley opened the door once again so he didn't have to yell.

“I would if I knew you weren't going to find a way to fuck this up!”

“I believe you're the one doing that.”

“Whatever. If I leave, are you actually going to kiss him?”

“I was trying when you started yelling because you can't leave well enough alone!”

“If I come back here in a few hours and nothing's happened, I swear, Austin.”

“Shayley,” Austin warned.

“Fine, okay,” he said as he went to leave yet again.

He closed the door heavily and I moved closer to Austin, putting my arms around his neck. I smiled a little, trying to ignore the nervous butterflies that had erupted in my stomach. Austin smiled back, his gaze wandering from my eyes to lips, then back again as he leaned in. His free hand found its way back to my face and he ran his thumb over my cheek. At long last, he pressed his lips to mine and sighed in content. I smiled and kissed him back. It didn't last as long as I had wished it would, but it was perfect nevertheless.

“That was,” I started.

“Perfect,” he finished with a smile.

I smiled back at him and rested my forehead on his.

“Fucking finally!”

Austin rolled his eyes, knowing it was Shayley lingering in the hallway.

“Watch your language! Don't make me come out there,” came the voice of another neighbor.

“Sorry Mrs. L! I was just leaving,” Shayley replied.

Austin and I laughed, still pressed together.

“That's what you get!” I yelled at him.

“You can't see it, but I'm flipping you off!”

“That's so effective.”

“I know! I''ll be back in a few hours,” he shouted before we heard him walk off.

“So what do you want to do now?” I asked Austin.

“I have a few ideas,” he replied with a mischievous smirk.