Pretty Boy

I paced anxiously back and forth, my hand constantly coming up to mess with my lip or fix the hair hanging on my forehead. I didn’t want to mess it up though, my mom worked hard on it. She’d be mad, and she’s in the living room and I didn’t want to get in trouble when I’m supposed to be ready to leave.

“Dude, you’re making me dizzy,” a deep-set voice says, stopping me mid-step. I look up, hands dropping to my sides at the sight of Avery’s quite large (and that’s saying a lot coming from me) older brother, Marcus. I’d met him over Christmas, and he scared me to death back then when he tried giving me the talk about “if you hurt my brother, I’ll hurt you.” It was a little too much, and I nearly had a heart attack. But Avery saved me, just like he always saves me. Just like he always will.

The two of us had remained a secret throughout my football season. I’d been willing to come out, but we came to an understanding that the guys were just too homophobic and it’d be better to do it when I wasn’t spending six of seven days a week with them. So, the week we got back after getting second in State (hell yeah), Avery told one of the biggest gossips in the whole school. It was spread everyone by lunch. Which made it easier for us to sit close together at the tables anyway. I liked being out and proud, and just as expected my parents accepted me.

Despite loving him, it was hard to handle his family. Especially Marcus. I still wasn’t comfortable around him but usually Avery was with me. Today though he’s upstairs getting his suit on. Apparently I was “early” but that’s bullshit.

Marcus rolls his eyes when he realizes I’m not going to say anything, but thankfully he’s smiling. “Look, there’s Aves,” he says, suddenly standing up straight off the wall and looking to the top of the stairs.

Like out of a damn movie, I turn around and look up to see my boyfriend descending the stairs, mom closely following. She’d helped him with his bowtie which admittedly looked far too adorable on him. He looked like he was sparkling or something, dark hair perfect as always, suit fitting his slim body beautifully. I just wanted to kiss him. But the first words out of my mouth, accompanied by a crooked grin, are, “Looking good, pretty boy.”

Avery’s cheeks turn a gentle pink and he rolls his dark eyes, coming to stop on the bottom step, nearly as tall as me now. I grin widely, hands grabbing his hips and pulling him in for a hug. I hear a camera flash go off and one of our moms awe loudly, making me roll my eyes into Avery’s neck. “You look gorgeous,” I murmur lowly, pulling back and smiling. Avery’s the one to lean up and kiss me, which isn’t unusual. In public, it was hard for me to make moves and he had no problem doing them. I did in fact consider our two families shoved into the hallway to be public.

“Oh, we don’t need to see that!” Marcus yells, laughing obnoxiously. There’s more pictures being taken and when we pull back I’m still blushing. I help Avery off the last step, arm staying around his waist as I look at everyone. My mom and dad, grinning with a camera snapping way too many pictures. Avery’s parents doing the same exact thing, but I swear his mom is near tears and if she cries I won’t be able to talk even thirty minutes after we leave. How awkward would that be?

And then there’s Marcus. “Look, kidlets, I need to have a stern talking to with you.” He says, and Avery audibly groans from beside me. I glance down at him, suddenly scared for what was about to happen. “Prom is a big night for you high schoolers. You need to be safe. Don’t be stupid out on the roads. There will probably be kids drunk, and know that you two don’t have to drink.”

“Is this talk really happening?” My dad pipes up from the back of the group, grinning impishly. I can feel my cheeks getting redder and redder.

“Oh yes it is,” Avery’s mom says, shaking her head but in a very fond manner. I bite the inside of my cheek, glancing back down at my boyfriend who does not look amused.

“I remember my senior prom,” he sighs dreamily, shaking his head happily. He looks off into space and then looks back down at us but his eyes are trained on his little brother. “I had a hell of a lot of fun with my date that night.”

“Yeah, I hope our night is wild too,” Avery muses, and when I look down to gawk at him, my boyfriend just winks and grins wolfishly. This cannot be happening right now.

“Oh my god! I don’t want to hear that!” Avery’s dad says, but his mom is laughing and my dad is laughing and my mom is shaking her head but still manages to look amused, and I’m pretty sure my cheeks are going to catch fire any moment. They’ll just combust.

“Can we take pictures so we aren’t late to meet the group?” I murmur, not making eye contact with anyone in the group. There’s another bout of laughter, but finally we’re told to pose in different ways, smile, and my mom takes at least fifteen more pictures than is necessary.

Twenty minutes later, we’re finally released out to my car. I open Avery’s door for him and her chirps out a thank you, and then we’re heading toward Charles’s house to meet our group for group pictures, parents probably following behind us. I sigh happily once I’m settled in, glad all the awkward talk is done and over with. Being with my friends the rest of the night, and of course my incredible boyfriend, was a break I was looking forward to.

Avery reaches out to hold my hand as I drive, making me smile to myself and keep my eyes on the road. “I’m wearing your ring under my shirt,” he says randomly, making me glance over for a second before my eyes are once more on the road. “You can’t see it because of the bowtie and everything but it’s there!” He grins widely, hand coming up as if touching it through his shirt.

I’d given him my state ring. Why? I don’t know, maybe it was cliché. It was just a thing, but I wanted him to have it. Like a stamp, like giving him my letterman jacket or something. He’s mine, you know? So he got my ring. It had to stay on a chain around his neck though because of it was way too big to fit his delicate fingers. Fingers which I loved.

“I love you Jacob,” he sighs, head moving to rest back against the seat. I glance over at him, slowing down to a stop sign. There’s no one around except our parent’s behind us, and I don’t go just yet. “I really do,” he smiles, squeezing my hand tightly.

Foot hard on the break, I lean over the middle console, our hands still entwined, and press my lips to his. Avery seems to have expected this, and his free hand raises to gently cup my cheek and squeeze. I hum into the kiss, holding it a moment longer before I pull back. “I love you, too.” God, did I mean that. I loved him more than I loved anyone else; more than I ever would.

I drive on again, smiling slightly when the car behind me honks. It’s just my Marcus being a smartass probably. I knew we would have a wild night, although probably not for the sexual implications Avery hinted at. It would just be a good night. We were going to a nice dinner with friends, we’d get to dance and more specifically slow dance, and then I was staying at his place. I couldn’t wait to see him under the fairy lights, glowing in the way only my Avery would.

I had a feeling this was only the start of something great.