"Love is Like A Glass Door..."

Joe's Pov

Eventually, I submerged from the basement and fell upon a scene of such joviality that it pissed me off. Everyone else was happy and content while I was confused and miserable.

I stuck my hands in my pockets moodily. "What're we eating?"

"Boiled hot dogs," that freaky kid, Connor, had answered while fishing them out with a pair of tongs and setting them on a platter in the middle of the kitchen table.

I mumbled a sarcastic "Great," and sat myself down in one of the chairs facing the stove, trying to blend into the wooden structure. Honestly, I was famished, and nothing sounded better than hot dogs with a stack of peanut butter sandwiches on the side. But I wanted someone to notice how upset I was.

No one did.

I sighed and stared at the tablecloth while everyone busied themselves with tasks like getting the ketchup and mustard, and pouring glasses of orange juice. Connor sat on the slate tile counter while he and Kevin talked animatedly about something or another. I could see already they were going to have a promising friendship.

Someone lightly put a hand on my shoulder. I turned around. It was Penny.

"Hey, Joe!" she greeted me brightly.

First thought that came into my mind: Holy crap! She knows my NAME! Then the sudden realization that I was Joe Jonas, and everyone knew my name.

"Are you okay? You look down."

What I had planned to be a sad and desolate reply turned out to be, "Oh- yeah- Um, I'm...Fine. Tired." I looked at her blankly and blinked a couple of times.

"Okay."

As she turned to leave, I stopped her with a, "Wait!"

She smiled. "Yes?"

"I like your dress!" I said. It was basically an over-sized tie-dye tee shirt that she had given form to by belting her waist with an orange bandanna. But you gotta admit, it looked pretty cool.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome," I replied lamely.

Kevin stopped talking to Connor for a split second, then took a quick glance at me and raised his eyebrows. Then looked coolly at Nick, who was searching for the hot dog buns, then he looked back at me.

What? I haven't done anything wrong...

Yet.

Kevin's Pov

Once everything was settled, we all sat down. Penny sat between Nick and Connor, I sat next to Connor, Frankie was to my left, and Joe sat next to Frankie, with Nick to his left. One big circle.

Connor continued our debate on which t.v. show was better: Supernatural or Smallville. I like Smallville because it had been around for a while, plus it was a cool sci-fi. Connor liked Supernatural. He said 'the show was badass and it had a lot of action in it and that whole werewolf, vampire, demons thing going on'.

I always thought that show wandered away from the main idea multiple times. And the show has way too much sex in it and the word 'd**k' is in the script a lot.

Perverted, much?

The others joined in our discussion.

"What about Merlin"? Nick asked.

I flicked a Lay's potato chip at him. "Dude, no one watches that but you."

"There's a t.v. show called Merlin?" Penn asked.

"My point exactly," I concluded, and grabbed a handful of chips.

Frankie broke in the conversation and said cheerfully, "I like Rocket Power!"

I smiled. "We know you do."

"And Friends," he added, with a toothy smile. "I watch it every night."

Penny giggled as she ate her hot dog. I could tell she thought that Frankie was the cutest thing ever. Every girl did.

Everyone ate and drank orange juice in a comfortable silence. I grin as I watched Connor drown his hot dog in ranch dressing.

"Ewww! You're one of those ranch freaks!" I wrinkled my nose at him.

"And you're a mayonnaise freak."

"Am not!" But in truth, I was spooning on a load of mayonnaise onto my hot dog.

"Well, I'm a ranch freak and I'm proud!" he said and took a large bite out of his hot dog. The ranch dripped to his plate.

Ooh... Perverted moment.

The others watched bemusedly as we both hawked down our lunch.

"You eat like a pig at a slop bucket," Penn said to Connor, wrinkling her nose adorably.

"I do it because I know it turns you on." We laughed as Penny broke up a handful of chips in his hair.

"So what are you twos' relation to each other?" Nick asked.

"Friends at school."

"-best friends," Penny broke in.

"We're practically siblings."

"Yeah." Penn slung an arm around him. "He's like the older sister I've never had."

Connor grinned. "Shut it."

Penny forced him in a headlock and gave him a noogie. Nick chuckled.

Soon Connor finished his hot dog and reached towards the platter to get another one. Frankie finished also, and ran up the stairs to his room to play his PSP.

I could see everyone give each other a look. Joe gazed at Penny, unaware that I very well noticed it. Nick smiled at Penny and she smiled back shyly.

Frankie was gone.

Let the games begin.

Penny's Pov

After Frankie left, it was obvious that there was some kind of change in the room. I just couldn't put my finger on it...

Joe replaced Frankie's seat, so now he sat next to Nick. Connor and Kevin eyed him warily while Nick continued eating, ignorant to the sudden new atmosphere.

Was it... tense? I shifted uncomfortably.

It was when I started considering getting up and excusing myself that I felt something.

Under the table, Nick lightly grasped my left hand. He rubbed my tiny fingers, and I could feel his silvery purity ring rub against them. I rested my head on his shoulder and I swung our arms lazily while I ate my hot dog with my other hand. He let go of my hand, but then I felt his hand start rubbing my thigh slowly.

Holycrap!

Then he stopped, and bended his head down towards me.

"Do I make you nervous?" he murmured.

"Uh, uh-yeah..." I murmured back hazily. He chuckled quietly, and I could feel his hand go back to my thigh.

Connor smirked at us. "Stop holding hands, you two," he teased. Kevin and Joe laughed.

Ooh... If they only knew...

The others finished and cleared their plates at the sink. I stood up too, until I took a glance at Nick's plate. He had took one or two bites from his hot dog, and a few scattered chips laid beside it. I sat back down. Joe paused, then walked away, leaving us alone in the kitchen.

"Eat," I whined.

"But I'm not hungry..." he mumbled.

I put a hand on his arm and looked at him concerned. "You have to eat something." Already, just based on the few days that I've been going out with him, I could tell that Nick never had much of an appetite- except for beverages. "Don't make me stuff a bigmac down your throat!" I half warned and half considered.

"Okay, fine, fine!" Nick put his hands up in defeat.

I watched with a comical carefulness as he slowly finished his lunch.

"There," he said, "Happy?"

I kissed his lips contently. "Very."

Nick chuckled again, the sound music to my ears. We cleared off our plates and placed them in the sink and joined the others in the living room.

That's my Nicholas.