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The first time Andrew saw Neil was in his house.
After a long day of hockey practice, all Andrew Dobson wanted to do was go to sleep.
His room had the perfect atmosphere to take a nap. The new black-out curtains his mom got him were doing the trick for his sleeping problems, plus the heater and the weighted blanket gave Andrew a warm embrace after almost freezing to death because of the cold and disgusting hockey stadium.
As he began to close his eyes, he immediately jolted awake after hearing screaming coming from downstairs. Andrew thought that he was home alone since Bee was at work and Aaron was most likely at school for his collection of after-school clubs. In an instant, Andrew got up and put on his black armbands. The knives were in a box under his bed, untouched, but Andrew made no attempt to reach down to get them. He didn’t think he’d need them. He hasn't used them in years.
Andrew crept down the stairs slowly; the yelling got louder, and Andrew became more and more irritated. Peering over the stairs, he saw his brother and someone new sitting on the kitchen table and arguing about something unimportant.
Andrew rolled his eyes at the yelling. After the last step, he went up to the two boys, who were still arguing, but they didn’t notice him until Andrew dramatically cleared his throat. The yelling ceased as his brother and his gorgeous friend stared at him. Andrew ignored his brother’s stare to look at his friend, and wow.
Aaron’s mysterious friend had the bluest eyes Andrew had ever seen. It was a warm blue, like the ocean, and his orange eyelashes complimented his eyes so much. Aaron’s friend had tan skin that looked gold in this lighting, with ragged scars to match. Andrew wanted to trace his fingers over every single one. Aaron’s friend bit his lip at the sight of Andrew, but did it mean anything?
“—Drew!” Aaron called out.
“What?” Andrew glared at his brother.
“Settle this debate for me; Neil’s being a bitch. Milk or cereal first?” Aaron asked.
“Fuck you!” Neil growled.
Andrew looked at Neil, who was still staring at him intensely. It didn’t make Andrew feel worried; it made him feel warm. Andrew instinctively licked his lips, then turned away before he did something embarrassing. But at the corner of his eye, he still saw ocean blue staring back at him.
“I don’t care. Just keep it down; I’m trying to sleep,” Andrew deadpans.
“Sorry,” Aaron said sarcastically.
“You’re not sorry.” Andrew narrowed his eyes at his brother.
“Yeah, you’re right.” Aaron smirked.
“Just keep it down before I kill you,” Andrew murmured, looking back and forth between his brother and his friend. Neil looked like he was fluttering his eyelashes, trying to get Andrew’s attention. While Aaron looked unimpressed and quickly noticed Andrew was making gaga eyes at his friend, assuming from the disgusted look he gave his twin.
Andrew went back to his room, wondering how Aaron, of all people, could be friends with someone as gorgeous as Neil and not care?
The second time Andrew saw Neil was when Aaron had a fever, and Andrew promised he’d fill in for him at school.
Twin swapping wasn’t difficult, but the hard part was wearing colors that weren’t black in the morning and that disgusting orange and white at night. Andrew stole a red shirt and blue jeans from his twin’s closet to make the swap believable. He also took off his black armbands because everyone who wasn’t an idiot knew that they were Andrew’s signature item.
Andrew felt strange since he didn’t have any of his piercings on besides his smiley. His ears were boring, and his face was too. The basic life of Aaron Dobson. Andrew knew it all too well.
Andrew sat in Aaron’s calculus class with a bored look on his face. He didn’t bother paying attention; his eidetic memory not only came in clutch on the ice but also in class. The formulas were stuck in his head forever, so there is no need to humor the teacher.
“You’re not Aaron,” the auburn-haired boy of Andrew’s dreams stated. Andrew didn’t even realize that he was in Aaron’s calculus class until the students moved seats, presumably for a partner activity.
Andrew bit the inside of his cheek to keep him from doing something stupid, like lining the boy’s scars or kissing him in front of the whole school. Andrew looked at the taller boy, who moved his seat closer so that the boys were almost touching shoulders.
“You’re not Aaron,” Beautiful boy Neil repeated.
“What are you talking about?” Andrew said, trying his best to not sound monotone so he could mimic Aaron to the best of his ability.
Neil just gave him a smile and pointed to his own face to signal he was talking about Andrew’s. “You have a mole on your upper lip, freckles on your hands, scars on your arms, and an obvious smiley piercing. Aaron has none of these things.”
Andrew looked at him aghast. Andrew has only seen Neil once—that one time he came to Andrew’s house. How does he know things like this?
“It’s obvious,” Neil explained, like he read Andrew’s mind. “Why are you covering for him?”
Andrew rolled his eyes. What’s the point in lying if Neil could see right through him? “He’s sick.”
“Oh,” Neil said. “You’re covering all of his classes?”
“Yes,” replied Andrew.
“So who’s going to cover yours?” Neil asked.
Andrew shrugged. He didn’t care about his attendance, but his brother was obsessed with the 100% attendance idea. Plus, Aaron promised him ice cream if he did it, and who was Andrew to say no?
“You care a lot about your brother,” Neil stated.
“Are you psychoanalyzing me?” Andrew narrowed his eyes.
“Oh, no.” Neil grinned.
“My mom’s a therapist; you can do better than that,” Andrew deadpans.
“Pfft, my uncle’s a cop. Guess we’re kind of on the same boat,” Neil laughed, leaning forward so he could really look at Andrew.
Andrew decided to humor him. “Guess we are.”
“You know, it's crazy how I’ve never seen you around before I went to Aaron’s house that one time. I mean, he talks about you a lot, but I... I don’t know,” Neil rambled.
“It’s not that difficult to grasp. We don’t have any classes together, and our friend groups don’t align,” Andrew said.
“I know it’s just... crazy.” Neil gave Andrew a smile, his dimples coming into light. Adorable.
“Maybe we could... I don’t know... become friends?” Neil tried.
Andrew gave the taller boy a weird look. “You’re out of your mind.”
“And you’re not?” Neil rebuttals. “Look at you; you’re Aaron’s perfect copy,” he teased, glancing down at Andrew’s disgusting, very “Aaron” outfit.
“Suck it,” Andrew gritted, but there was a lack of venom.
The bell rang, successfully distracting Andrew from his Neil-induced thoughts. Andrew gave the taller boy another look, staring at Neil’s rosy pink lips. The blonde blinked, trying to destroy the idea of leaning over and kissing Neil right then and there. Andrew had never felt this insane before, and Neil was right: he was out of his mind.
“Don’t tempt me,” Neil simply said, getting up from his seat and giving Andrew a shit-eating grin as he slung his tattered backpack over his shoulders and left the math classroom, leaving Andrew with only ten seconds to recollect his thoughts and to beg his skin to stop turning red.
The third time Andrew saw Neil is after a hockey game.
“Twenty goals? Insane, cuz!” Nicky exclaimed. “How’s ice cream sound?”
“Great,” Andrew replied truthfully. He just wanted to forget about stupid hockey, plus Rocky Road sounds so good right now.
Andrew and Nicky looked towards Aaron and Neil, who were running down the stairs to catch up with them. Aaron was sipping a large soda while Neil was sucking on a lollipop, and it took every bone in Andrew’s body to not throw it away and kiss him in front of the entire school and both of their families.
“You did good,” Neil complimented Andrew, taking the lollipop out of his mouth. Andrew could see his blue tongue, and the blonde wanted both of theirs to be purple so unbelievably bad.
“Compliments from a hockey master? How thoughtful,” Andrew deadpans.
Neil’s tongue almost fit right through the slight gap in his teeth as he smiled. “You have jokes?”
“You have no idea.” Andrew looked Neil up and down so he could really get a good look at him. He was wearing an orange shirt and white shorts that were too tight on him and made Andrew’s eyes, naturally, move down to his muscular legs. Aaron mentioned that Neil did track and worked out often with Kevin and his posse of upperclassmen. But Andrew never knew that he worked out this much.
“Are they flirting? Oh my god, they’re totally flirting,” Nicky loudly whispered to Aaron, who punched him on the shoulder to get him to stop.
“Neil! Hey, do you wanna get ice cream with us?” Aaron asked loudly to try to tune out Nicky. Andrew moved his attention from Neil’s legs to his brother’s shit-eating grin. Aaron most definitely noticed Andrew checking Neil out.
Neil noticed Andrew’s stare and licked his lips instinctively. He then looked at Aaron with a grin to match. God those dimples. “Sure, but I’m not paying.”
“Staring,” Andrew said.
“I can’t help it, not when you’re like this,” Neil admitted, looking him up and down. He didn’t even try to be distinct; Neil wanted to be obvious to rile Andrew up.
“Like what?” Andrew quirked an eyebrow.
Neil just gave him a grin that showed off his pearly whites and his dimples along with them. The taller boy turned around to follow Nicky, who was trying to pick up Erik to get to the car so they could go to Sweetie’s.
Aaron shoved Andrew, not hard enough to knock him over but hard enough so he could feel it linger. Andrew blinked; he was looking at Neil’s ass as he left, but because of his brother, he lost sight of Neil and his smile right with it. Andrew looked at his brother with a death glare that could kill millions, but Aaron didn’t look apologetic.
“You owe me,” Aaron smirked.
“Bitch, what are you talking about?” Andrew snarled.
“Neil,” Aaron simply said. “You like him.”
“I don’t like anyone,” Andrew lied.
“I see the way you look at him,” Aaron revealed. “Call it twin telepathy.”
“I don’t think it works that way.” Andrew glared at his brother.
“Neil has a track meet in two days, you should come with me,” Aaron said.
“What inspired this?” Andrew raised an eyebrow.
“Let’s just say I’m feeling nice,” Aaron smirked.
“Shocking,” Andrew deadpans, then he cleared his throat. “Thank you.”
“That didn’t hurt, now did it?” Aaron teased.
“Fuck you.”
The fourth time Andrew saw Neil was at his track meet.
Neil won first place overall, but Andrew didn’t notice until after the meet. He was too busy staring at Neil’s lower part of his body. Who could blame him?
“You came!” Neil exclaimed, looking at Andrew with a large grin.
‘Wrong twin,’ Andrew thought.
“I did.” Andrew nodded.
“What do ya think of this?” Neil grinned, pointing at the gold medal around his neck. But all Andrew noticed was the sweat that dripped down Neil’s head and his chapped lips.
“You’re a champion,” Andrew said genuinely. Neil was exceptional at running.
Neil gave him a slight smile, something very adorable, and Andrew wanted to move up and kiss Neil’s rosy pink lips along with his scarred face, which made him look like Andrew’s undesirable dreams.
“I’ll get out of your guy’s hair.” Aaron grinned, going over to Kevin and Nicky on the field. Andrew forgot he was even there.
“So, um, how much do you work out?” Andrew stuttered, trying to maintain eye contact with Neil. But he felt like Neil’s blue eyes were trying to look through him.
Neil grinned. “I try to do it every day. How about you?” He pointed at his own arms to signal that he was talking about Andrew’s.
This conversation feels sexually charged, but Andrew decided to humor Neil. “Few times a week, we gotta do it for practice.”
“You know, Aaron told me you were coming, but... I really didn’t think you’d actually come,” Neil said sheepishly.
“I was just bored, and he gave me an invite,” Andrew gave a half-truth. He couldn’t admit that he was obsessed with Neil—obsessed with the way his tongue fit right through the gap in his tooth, obsessed with the way Neil licked and bit his lips every time he made eye contact with Andrew, obsessed with the way Neil lit up every time he saw Andrew.
“Oh?” Neil grinned, catching the lie.
“Yeah.” Andrew’s ears started turning red. Was it hot in here? Andrew’s heart beat so loud his ears could pick up on it. Every time he looked at Neil, his heart did somersaults as if he was the one who ran two miles.
Neil looked Andrew up and down, which made the blonde feel embarrassed. Andrew was wearing black cargo pants with a long-sleeved orange shirt from Aaron’s closet to support the school or something. Neil did his signature lip bite, and if Andrew was an idiot, he’d think Neil was checking him out.
“So I was, um, thinking maybe we can—” Neil started.
“Neil!” Kevin called out. Neil whipped his head around to find his friend trying to get his attention by snapping his fingers.
“What?” Neil groaned, clearly upset. Andrew raised an eyebrow at Kevin and then at Neil. What was he going to say to him?
“My mom’s picking us up, remember?” Kevin rolled his eyes.
“Fuck, I forgot. Hey, um, I’ll see you later... Tell Aaron I said bye.” Neil bit his lip again. An amazing way to get Andrew admitted to the psych ward.
“Okay,” Andrew said dumbly.
Neil looked like he wanted to say something else, but Kevin’s yelling made him stop and run over to him. Andrew sighed, staring at the setting sun that kissed Neil’s skin as he ran.
The fifth time Andrew sees Neil is at Nicky’s 18th birthday bash.
It was the biggest and brightest party Andrew has ever been to. It was in Erik’s mansion, and Nicky invited the majority of the school, excluding freshmen.
Andrew, the introvert that he is, was cooped up near the swimming pool with a beer in his hand and a dream. It felt nice just to sit there and think, but sometimes it felt lonely.
Andrew glanced to his right before the figure now beside him could even get a word out. Andrew’s breath hitched; he didn’t know if Neil was more beautiful because of the alcohol coursing through his veins or because of his disheveled hair and tank top that made his muscular arms stand out. Oh, how much Andrew wanted to rake his fingers through his soft auburn curls or trace his fingers on Neil’s lips and scars, or trace his fingers on his muscles.
“Hey,” Neil said with a grin. He sat down next to Andrew, his white sneakers almost touching the water beneath them.
“Wrong twin.” Andrew rolled his eyes, taking another swing.
“Right twin,” Neil rebuttals. “I wanted to see you, not Aaron.”
“How’d you find me?” Andrew asked.
“This house isn’t that big.” Neil grinned.
Andrew gave him a look, then Neil stuttered. “Okay, it is that big. But I asked Aaron.”
“Mm,” Andrew mumbled, satisfied with Neil’s answer. Andrew looked up, anywhere but Neil, and took another swing of his drink. Neil was asking about him? The thought made his heart palpitate, but that could also be the excessive amounts of alcohol Andrew drank in the past twenty minutes.
“You drink?” Neil asks.
“You don’t?” Andrew deadpans, then cringes after realizing he sounded like a deadbeat, alcoholic father.
“I don’t,” Neil admitted.
“But you do weed,” Andrew states.
“Ohh,” Neil grinned. “Who told you that?”
“Aaron, we talk bad things about you all the time,” Andrew lies. He knew Neil smoked a little from Kevin, who complained that the drugs would mess up his lungs and stamina for all of the track meets.
“Something inside tells me I shouldn’t believe you.” Neil leans in so he can feel Andrew’s sharp breath.
“Really? People say that I’m very honest.” Andrew lies once again.
“Mm,” Neil almost purrs, making Andrew’s cheeks go red. “I just did it a few times with Ally and Seth—nothing crazy. Stopped because once the doctors know, they’ll bench you.”
“Of course this has to do with you being an athletic junkie.”
“Junkie? That’s new.”
“It’s really not,” Andrew said. “Nicky invited you?”
“Yeah, you know me and him are friends too,” Neil teased. “But I’m your best friend.”
“Wrong twin,” Andrew repeated, getting a strong sense of deja vu.
“Right twin,” Neil countered. “What does alcohol taste like?”
“Wanna find out?” Andrew leaned in, licking his lips. Somehow, the alcohol gave him enough confidence to try to make a move on Neil.
Neil grinned. “Maybe I do.”
The two were about to lean in, but Neil’s eyes widened as he fell into the water beneath them while dragging Andrew’s legs so he could go down with him. Luckily, both boys knew how to swim. But unfortunately, most of the school was watching them and recording.
Andrew was not angry at all. Not now, especially because Neil was instinctively grabbing his waist so both of them would float safely. Andrew gave the cameras a peace sign along with a blank stare as Neil batted his hands away to hiss, “Stop it!”
The sixth time Andrew saw Neil was in his house again, this time was much worse.
Andrew was coming home from a long hockey practice, and he was irritated because of Kevin’s awful personality and the coach's nagging.
‘Andrew! Block one more shot.’
'Dobson, get your head in the game.’
'Andrew, you fucking imbecile.’
Frankly, Andrew was sick of it. He's sick of hockey, but sometimes he thinks that's the only thing he’s good at. Of course, he’s good at kisses (well, that's what the guys say after Andrew’s done with them), and having an eidetic memory made him naturally good at school. But hockey was something he trained endlessly for, ever since Bee put her twin sons in little leagues.
Aaron left the hockey life, but Andrew stayed. With Kevin’s motivation and promise for friends in middle school, a lonely Andrew would naturally oblige.
If Andrew quit hockey, what would be waiting for him?
Andrew shook his head, dismissing these self-degrading thoughts from his mind. His hockey bag, which included his gear and uniform, was slung on his right arm as he used his left hand to unlock the door. Through the walls, he could hear the faint chatter between his twin and Neil’s raspy, distinctive voice.
Andrew peered inside, looking at Aaron and Neil seemingly having a serious conversation. Aaron’s eyes were narrowed while Neil’s pupils were darting, like he was searching for something.
“Okay, I don’t get it.” Aaron’s eyebrows furrowed at Neil’s strange reactions.
“What do you mean you don’t get it?” Neil’s eyes continued to dart in anxiety.
“I’m serious, I don’t get it,” Aaron uttered.
“I don’t swing. I don’t—don’t I…can’t. It’s… strange,” Neil blubbered. Andrew looked closer at Neil; the taller boy was too in distress to even notice his best friend’s brother was watching him quite creepily. But Andrew knew that he was high just by looking at Neil for one second.
“You don’t like anyone?” Aaron asked, trying to understand.
“Yes! Nobody, fuck,” Neil rubbed his temples. “It’s so weird.”
Andrew didn’t care about being quiet anymore; he ran into his room, and the first thing he did was slam his hockey bag into the wall. The next was rot in his bed.
Neil didn’t like anyone; he can’t; that’s just in his DNA. The idea of Neil never liking Andrew back was like a thousand spears to his chest. It was like the coach or Kevin yelled at him a billion times in practice. It was like Neil was sort of leading Andrew on.
Andrew started hitting the pillow in blind rage, then he took it and threw it at the window, and the rest was a blurred mess. Andrew had never felt this way about a person, let alone a gorgeous boy like Neil Josten.
Of course, there were hookups here and there at juvie, and then at high school, they said that he’s so great at using his tongue, or whatever. With his hands or something. But does anybody like Andrew? Does Neil like Andrew? Do Andrew’s own friends and family like him?
Nobody will ever love Andrew Joseph Dobson.
The seventh time Neil saw Andrew was when the blonde was breaking every single window in his house.
It was difficult since there were three floors, including the attic. Andrew’s hands bled rapidly, the red hitting Bee’s vintage carpets on the floor as the glass shattered everywhere.
Everything was just a blur; the only reminder of Andrew doing all of this will be the scars on his hands. He was so mad, but because of what? Neil? Being unlovable? It was all stupid in the end; the only thing that mattered was taking out his anger on the house that did him no wrong.
Andrew’s hands ached at the pain, but he was almost done. He started at the top and will end at the bottom. Andrew thought it was funny that Bee and Aaron weren't home; what would they say? Never mind; Andrew doesn’t fucking care.
“Andrew?” Someone called out from outside, and Andrew could hear and answer because of the nearest broken window. But he didn’t want to. He was almost done.
“Andrew? It’s Neil; open the door!” Neil yelled. The taller boy whipped his head around as he heard the last window’s glass shattered to the outside.
“Shit, shit, shit,” Neil mumbled under his breath. He was taller than Andrew but short enough to slip through the window. Neil ran over to Andrew, who was just staring at the ceiling with a blank look.
“Andrew? Are you—” Neil started, but stopped after noticing Andrew’s bleeding hands.
“Andrew! Can you hear me? Let me see your hands,” Neil demanded, blinking the tears out of his eyes.
One second, Andrew was grinning, revealing his pearly whites and smiley piercing, then he just looked at his bloodied hand and screamed. The scream was bloodcurdling, and Andrew’s hands and his pupils shook like crazy.
“Neil? Neil? Neilio? You have to help me, fuck! You have—oh my god, Neil! Josten! Fuck, you have to—” Andrew started hyperventilating.
“Andrew, listen, I’m going to—” Neil tried.
“There’s glass all over the floor—and... Neil, don’t look, but there's somebody behind you, and he doesn’t look very nice,” Andrew gritted out.
“Andrew—”
“Neil!” Andrew started sobbing profusely; his tears, along with the blood, hit the floor. The shorter boy was sweating like crazy while grabbing the sleeves of Neil’s shirt in desperation. “Neil, you have to help me, Neil. Josten. Number 10. You have to—”
“It’s okay, baby; I’m going to help. I’m going to help,” Neil repeated, but he didn’t know if it was to reassure Andrew or to reassure himself. The two didn’t even notice the pet name drop; Andrew was hyper-focused on the “person” behind Neil, and Neil was focused on getting a phone to call Andrew’s mom.
Neil ran to the kitchen, grabbing a pack of bounty wipes. He took a stack, placed it on Andrew’s bleeding palms, and applied pressure to it.
“Neil,” Andrew sobbed. “Neil. Neil. Neil. I’m bleeding everywhere—hey, does being number 10 in uniform have to do with your last name being Jos-Ten, get it?”
"Oh, baby,” Neil said, giving him a sympathetic look. “Where’s your phone?”
“He’s behind you,” Andrew said.
“Okay, I’ll be right back,” Neil reassured, running upstairs to Andrew’s room. The boy’s phone was lying flatly on his nightstand. Neil looked around, noticing that Andrew’s windows were also shattered, but he didn’t pay any mind to them or the ripped posters on the wall. He had to make it to Andrew.
Neil dialed Bee, who picked up immediately. Neil sighed in relief as Bee greeted him.
“Andrew? Hi,” Bee greeted.
“No, it’s Neil. I think Andrew’s having an episode—uh, a p-panic attack. Please come home quick. I don’t know what to do,” Neil said quickly, hanging up before Bee could even get the chance to respond. He jumped over the flight of stairs and touched Andrew’s bleeding hands with extreme care.
Andrew was crying so hard that it tugged on Neil’s heart strings like they were going to rip out. Neil reached out to wipe the shorter boy’s tears as Andrew hiccuped.
“Neil, you have to answer me hic honestly,” Andrew whined.
“Anything for you, baby.” Neil wiped Andrew’s tears while giving him a sad smile.
“Do you think hic I’m unlovable?” Andrew bawled; his hands were shaking like a ticking time bomb as his sad, hazel eyes looked up at Neil’s sad blue.
“Never,” Neil didn’t even realize he started crying too until he saw, at the corner of his eye, the droplet traveling down his jaw. “Never in a million years.”
The two heard the ambulance’s sirens, along with a car pulling up to the driveway. But Neil was laser-focused on Andrew’s wellbeing, while Andrew was staring behind Neil.
Maybe someone will love Andrew Joseph Dobson.
The eighth time Andrew saw Neil was when the taller boy picked Andrew up from therapy.
After his extreme mood swing involving the windows having to get fixed and Andrew having permanent scars on his hands, Bee called in one of her therapist friends to get Andrew checked out after leaving the hospital.
Bipolar disorder was what they labeled Andrew as. High-highs and low-lows were all the blonde thought of as he left the office. His mood swings were built up, the feeling bubbling up in his stomach for weeks until he finally snapped.
The doctors are planning on giving Andrew mood stabilizers, anti-depressants, and mandatory therapy sessions. But all Andrew had was anxiety—what if, just what if the medicine doesn’t work? Maybe next time it won’t be windows, but it might be someone or something that Andrew will kill.
“And that’s all for today,” Andrew’s therapist said with a smile. He didn’t bother to learn her name. He refused to ask, and he refused to talk to her. “I’ll see you next week.”
Andrew grumbled, standing up from the couch and opening the door with a firm grip on the knob. Instinctively, he picked at the bandages covering his hands, like he was trying to take them off.
“Andrew!” a raspy voice called out. Andrew’s head moved up slowly, and he made eye contact with the person he wanted to see both less and more: Neil Josten.
Neil witnessed Andrew’s lowest point in life, hands bloodied and hallucinating some type of figure. The blonde wanted to die at the thought of showing too much emotion to someone he had only seen seven times.
“Neil?” Andrew croaked out. “Fuck, what are you doing here?”
“Picking you up, obviously.” Neil rolled his eyes, then smirked playfully. “Kevin let me borrow his car.”
“Forgot you can drive,” Andrew said.
“Yeah, well, I can.” Neil grinned. “Wanna hop in?”
“With you? How could I resist?” Andrew deadpans. Of course he wanted to be inside a car with Neil, but will he ever admit that?
“Har Har,” Neil mocked. “C’mon, let’s go inside, baby.”
Andrew glared at the taller boy; his red ears made him seem less threatening, and Neil’s grin became wider. Ultimately, he followed Neil outside and climbed into the passenger seat.
“So, um,” Neil started, tapping on the steering wheel. “How was it?”
“Patient-Doctor confidentiality. Ever heard of it?” Andrew said dryly.
“Nope, my only source of therapy is running,” Neil said, popping the ‘p.’ Andrew couldn’t help but sneak glances at Neil’s rosy pink lips.
“That’s unsurprising, though there’s a few things about you that could use some help with,” Andrew joked.
“Are you psychoanalyzing me?” Neil asked in a voice that sounded awfully like Andrew. The blonde was getting severe deja vu.
“Oh, no,” Andrew mocked. “Just a suggestion.”
“I would say that you only went to therapy once and became an expert, but you have Betsy as your mother, so...” Neil trailed off.
“Glad you didn’t forget,” Andrew said.
Neil snorted. “No, but really, I was wondering if it went well for you or not. I was also wondering if I needed to deck anyone.”
If Andrew’s heart was beating like crazy, it was nobody’s business but his. “You care about me way too much.”
Neil winked. “Hard not to.”
“You don’t need to punch my new, middle-aged therapist. Also, it was…” Andrew glanced out the window to try to find the right words. “It was different. I don’t know if it's a good or a bad difference yet.”
“Thank you for telling me,” Neil said genuinely.
Andrew shrugged. Looking back at Neil, who wasn’t really paying attention to the road and was more focused on a certain 5’0 hockey player beside him. Neil blinked and looked away after Andrew caught him staring.
“In the mood for ice cream right now?” Neil asked.
“I’m always in the mood for ice cream,” Andrew replied.
“Of course,” Neil grinned. “Rocky road?”
Andrew blinked. How did he know his favorite flavor? “How’d you—oh, almost forgot you're apart of my brother’s group of hooligans.”
“Oh, your brother isn’t that bad.” Neil laughed.
“Guess you’re hanging out with the wrong one,” Andrew thought out loud.
“You mean the right one?” corrected Neil.
“We’ll never know.” Andrew shrugged.
“I know,” Neil affirmed. “For sure,” he added.
“Don’t make me laugh,” Andrew deadpans.
“I’m serious.” Neil pouted. Literally, he needs to stop before Andrew stops breathing.
“Don’t make me laugh,” Andrew repeated.
“Oh, c’mon, baby,” Neil said. Andrew tried his best not to leap on top of the taller boy and grab his waist while giving him kisses on his lower body. “You know that you’re my favorite. Wait, don’t tell Aaron I said that.”
Andrew bite the inside of his cheek to prevent him from saying something smart, or laugh, until Neil pulled over at Sweetie’s and parked perfectly without even looking at the car windows.
“We’re here, baby!” Neil grinned, taking off his seatbelt.
Andrew sighed. Why him? Why did he have to go to therapy and then get ice cream with his oblivious crush that doesn’t swing? At least Rocky Road did him no wrong.
The ninth time Andrew saw Neil was when Andrew was forced by his brother to come along for a movie and karaoke with his friend group.
Now, Andrew initially did not want to go. However, Aaron begged him to simply because Neil was going to be there. Fuck his twin for being so observant and a little too on board with the idea of Andrew, hypothetically, getting with Neil. But the twins both knew that it might never happen.
Andrew was the one driving to the movie theater as Aaron was sending streaks to his girlfriend, Katelyn. Aaron insisted that Andrew wear something casual and laid-back, which Andrew translated as a Green Day graphic t-shirt and black jeans. Unfortunately, neither the shirt nor his black armbands covered the bandages on his hands and the scars that ached beneath them. Hopefully none of Aaron’s imbecile friends will comment on it.
The twins made it to reception as Aaron drilled the hole of “stay calm and act normal around your crush” into Andrew’s brain. God, when will his brother realize that he could remember one sentence for the rest of his life?
“Remember what I said,” Aaron advised.
“I don’t need your advice,” Andrew deadpans.
“Baby!” Neil yelled out from the entrance. All of the people sitting in the lobby stared at him, then at Andrew, whose shoulders tensed and eyes twitched at the mention of the silly nickname. Too bad it wasn’t a random person; it was Neil.
“Baby?” Aaron mouthed with a weird look on his face.
“Not a word,” Andrew gritted out.
“Andrew! I didn’t know you were coming.” Neil grinned, practically bouncing up and down like a dog. If he had a tail, it would be wagging like crazy.
“I’m here,” Andrew confirms.
“Where are the others?” Aaron asked Neil.
“Outside, they drove me, but I ran here,” Neil said sheepishly.
Aaron clicked his tongue, then left to find the rest of the group. Leaving Andrew and Neil alone. Andrew could practically hear the “you owe me” from Aaron later on when they got home.
“Huh,” Andrew said.
“Want to sit next to me?” Neil grinned. God, those dimples.
“Well, I’m definitely not sitting next to anyone else, especially Gordon or Reynolds,” Andrew replied. “I guess you’ll do.”
Neil snorted. “What do you like?”
Andrew quirked an eyebrow. “What?”
“I mean the food, snacks, whatever,” Neil shook his head. “So, what’s your favorite?”
“Popcorn. Sometimes I put Mike and Ikes in them and skittles,” Andrew jokes.
Neil looked at him in disgust and horror. Andrew snorted. “I’m kidding; you know I can joke too. I like plain old popcorn.”
“Gotcha, come with me?” Neil asked with a smile on his face.
“How could I ever resist the Neil Josten charm?” Andrew deadpans.
“You can’t,” Neil purred.
“We’ll see,” Andrew said, hoping that Neil had no idea the blonde was head over heels for him ever since the first time they saw each other.
In the end, Neil bought Andrew popcorn along with wild berry skittles. Though Andrew didn’t put any together to Neil’s relief.
The movie they were watching was a corny horror movie. Andrew hated horror movies, not because they were scary but because they weren’t scary enough. He was more of an action person; there had to be an amazing plot with the best actors in his movies. But in horror, the actors are mediocre, and the plot is nowhere to be seen.
But Neil was shaking beside him. The killer hasn’t even come out yet, and Neil was gripping the armrest like it was going to provide him comfort.
Andrew could see the exact moment when Neil got an idea—a stupid one. His eyes flickered away from the “scary” movie in front of them and moved onto Andrew. The blonde noticed this and immediately raised an eyebrow.
“Too scary for you?” Andrew mouths, teasing him.
“Stop, no, it isn’t,” Neil whispered, his lips quivering in anxiety for the characters. At this rate, his rosy pink lips were going to fall off before Andrew could even get a taste.
“Just look at the movie,” Neil urged him.
Andrew rolled his eyes, glancing up at the big screen. The characters were currently trying to summon a demon using a Ouija board. Stupid idea. Andrew could’ve made this movie in his sleep.
Andrew couldn’t help it; he glanced back at Neil, who was pretending to yawn and stretch so his arm would wrap around Andrew’s upper body. Andrew was so unbelievably red it was insane, but thankfully the room was dim and nobody would notice. But what Neil will notice is Andrew’s confusing stare.
“Where’d you learn this trick? Wikihow: How to woo your best friend's brother?” Andrew asked.
“I was seriously yawning,” Neil lied.
“That’s what my thirteen boyfriends said to me each time they did it; trust me, I am no stranger,” Andrew deadpans. He never had thirteen boyfriends, let alone one.
“Thirteen?” Neil’s eyes almost popped out of his sockets. The taller boy tried to stay silent, but he said it so loudly that Aaron above them had to shush him.
“What’s wrong with that?” Andrew said, humoring Neil a bit.
“I mean, nothing’s wrong with that. It’s just...”
“I never had thirteen boyfriends.”
“What?”
“I’m funny. I like to joke, remember?”
“You… are,” Neil sighed in relief and tried pulling Andrew closer, to the point where Andrew was almost on top of him and Neil’s scarred hands were caressing Andrew’s shoulder. “I remember.”
Andrew felt like he was going to fall asleep with Neil touching him like this, like a warm embrace much needed after extremely stressful months. But Neil’s scream beside him, along with his scarred hands moving from his shoulder to squeezing his waist, made him wake up.
“Are you seriously crying?” Andrew teased.
“No!” Neil pouted.
The tenth time Andrew saw Neil, he was trying to clean his wounds in Andrew’s bathroom.
Neil was propped up on the sink while Andrew dabbed on his aching, greenish-purple bruise with a wet towel. The taller boy winced as Andrew applied pressure to it.
“What the hell even happened?” Andrew asked.
Neil winced. “Nothing—ahh—fuck, nothing. Nothing that concerns you.”
Andrew would normally glare at him, but the groan that escaped Neil’s mouth was so close to turning him on that it was driving Andrew insane. Andrew just wanted to swallow all of his moans and whimpers, but he had a task to do first. Andrew bit his cheek so he could bite back saying something smart.
What could Neil possibly get into a fight for? Who could he fight with? Neil was popular around school; good looks and good grades were the reasons in question. So who would beat him up? Neil has to confess now, or Andrew will eventually find out and interrogate that person. Nobody touches what’s his.
“Nothing that concerns me?” Andrew raised an eyebrow, applying more pressure to the bruise.
Neil whimpered. “Right, nothing—fuck.”
“Hurts, huh?” Andrew said.
“Nah, just a little.” Neil gave Andrew a grin. “Been through worse.”
“I'm not surprised,” Andrew deadpans.
“You know, I really like hanging out with you,” Neil confessed, wincing after Andrew applied pressure to the bruises on Neil’s knuckles.
“Who paid you to say that?” Andrew said with indifference.
“Nobody! Baby, I like—” Neil cleared his throat. “I like hanging out with you—the ice cream, the drives, all that.”
“That’s sweet,” Andrew said, rolling his eyes, not believing the boy in front of him. “What do you want?” Andrew asks.
“No, I didn’t—” Neil stammered.
“Just kidding,” Andrew deadpans.
“Oh,” Neil sighed. “They need to take away your joking privileges.”
“Who’s they?” Andrew asked.
Neil just gave him a grin. “They.”
“Thanks, that helped.” Andrew rolled his eyes. “Now, seriously, how did you get that bruise?”
“Nothing, no reason, baby, don’t worry,” Neil said with a nervous smile.
“Is Stuart…”
“No! He would never; also, he hasn’t been home in a week, so.”
“Just checking,” Andrew simply said.
“Thanks, but you should’ve seen the other guy,” Neil grinned, but it never met his eyes like it usually did.
“Huh.” Andrew nodded, applying pressure to the bruises again. Neil swallowed his own whimpers as Andrew continued. If this keeps up, then Andrew was about to get hard, and he’d rather shoot himself than be hard in front of Neil.
“So—” Neil started, but the phone in his pocket buzzing almost made the boys jolt. Neil smiled in apology as he took the call. Andrew snuck a glance at it and noticed it was Matt, who was Neil’s best friend other than Aaron, calling.
“Hey Neil. I heard about—” Matt greeted. Neil immediately put the phone out of speaker so he could listen to Matt without Andrew listening over.
“Don’t worry about it, I’m fine—uh huh, okay, give me a second,” Neil nodded, clicking the mute button then facing Andrew.
“Hey, baby. I have to go,” Neil sent Andrew an apologetic look.
Andrew bit his cheek. “‘Kay.”
“I’ll see you later,” Neil said. Andrew noticed that Neil’s scarred hands were about to reach out for him, but then pulled back at the last second. What would happen if Neil touched him? Would they kiss? Would they do something more?
“Bye,” Andrew replied, snapping out of his thoughts. Neil smiled before leaving the bathroom and then the Dobson household.
Andrew sighed, fixing his disheveled blonde hair that stuck out in all of the wrong places with a bit of water. The blonde stepped outside to the kitchen to try to get some Oreos, but instead he made eye contact with his twin brother, who had a bruise on his face too.
Andrew ran up to Aaron, not daring to touch his face. “Aaron?”
“Andrew? Don’t tell me that was Neil inside the house.” Aaron growled at the mention of his friend.
Andrew looked at Aaron with confusion. "Yeah, he was; why? And also, what the fuck happened to your face? It’s uglier than usual.”
“You should’ve seen the other guy,” Aaron grinned.
“That’s funny because that is also what Neil told me.” Andrew’s face darkened. “What are you two hiding from me?”
Andrew could see the color draining from Aaron’s face. “We got into a fight.”
“No shit, why?”
“Because of you.”
“What?”
“You heard me.”
“Yeah, I did. What?”
Aaron sighed. “He’s playing around with you.”
“What do you mean?” Andrew asked.
“The ‘baby,’ the touching, the stealing Kevin’s car to pick you up from therapy. Something’s up, and it's not you, it's him, and—” Aaron huffed.
“Calm down. Maybe he wants to be a good friend,” Andrew said, lying to himself in the process.
Aaron shook his head. “You and I both know it’s not like that.”
“It is. Aaron, he’s not interested in me.” Andrew sighed, trying to hold back tears. Saying it to himself for months was already draining, but admitting it out loud was a different type of agony.
“He’s not interested in anybody... he—” Aaron started.
“—Doesn’t swing. I know,” Andrew finished, a tear now rolling down his face.
“I told him to leave you the fuck alone and threw a punch; unfortunately for me, he’s a good fighter,” Aaron scoffed.
Andrew wiped the tears forming in his eyes; his voice cracked as he spoke, like speaking was a chore. “He’s not doing anything. It’s fine.”
“I’m going to kill him,” Aaron snarled. The sentence sounded very “Andrew,” which scared the older of the two.
“Aaron. Leave it alone,” Andrew demanded.
“‘Kay, but your signal and I’m bashing his head in the fucking pavement,” Aaron threatened, then his face softened at the sight of his brother trying not to cry and trying to stay strong.
“He doesn’t deserve you,” Aaron said.
“I’m thinking it's the other way around.” Andrew weakly laughed.
Aaron shook his head and repeated. “He doesn’t deserve you.”
Andrew didn’t try to go against Aaron this time; he just wiped his face with his sleeve as he turned at his heels and went upstairs so he could have more privacy as he cried.
The eleventh time Andrew saw Neil was after therapy once again.
Now, Andrew was on anti-depressants. The doctors were testing them out, seeing if they’d be a good fit for Andrew. Now, Andrew opened up a bit to his therapist. Now, Andrew found out he liked to draw to express his feelings.
Bee was ecstatic when he told her; she got him some color pencils and a marker kit for Andrew. Even though he was extremely bad at drawing, he thanked his mom anyway and used the color pencils every day.
“Baby!” Neil called out.
Andrew rolled his eyes but came up to Neil anyway. The boy was wearing a tank top that outlined the muscles and shorts that made Andrew’s eyes move up and down constantly. Neil was like a drug, and Andrew was addicted.
“I can’t wait for you to quit it with that nickname,” Andrew gritted out, noticing that the patients waiting in the seats for their appointments were staring at the two like they were out of place.
"Oh, never, baby,” Neil grinned. “Ice cream?”
“You know it,” Andrew said, following Neil to Kevin’s car. The blonde’s eyes never left Neil’s as he turned his keys in the car and as he began driving. The bruise on Neil’s face was slowly fading away, but it was obvious it was there. And it was painfully obvious that Neil fought Andrew’s own brother for him.
“So…” Neil tapped on the wheel. “Ally’s having her 18th soon; she said you’re invited.”
“Oh goody.” Andrew cheered sarcastically. “Hopefully these people realize I only go to parties to clear out the alcohol cabinet. Too bad my meds and drugs don’t mix.”
“You’re going to quit?” Neil gaped.
“Either I don’t quit and I get a shitty liver, or the mix will make me... have a seizure and die, or something. I don’t know.” Andrew shook his head.
“Guess I have to closely monitor you during the party,” Neil winked.
“And hopefully Neil Josten realizes that spending too much time with Andrew Dobson will make his perfect American high school experience wither away,” Andrew deadpans.
“Baby, do you really think that?” Neil looked at Andrew with a sad expression on his face.
“What? That you’re wasting your time with me? Of course. You destroyed your weird friendship with my brother because you wanted to fight over me; what’s next?” Andrew asked with a hint of venom.
“I’m not wasting my time with you, Andrew,” Neil said firmly. “You make my experience at Palmetto, in South Carolina, better than ever. I like the way we hang out after your therapy; I like the way you join us sometimes on our outings; and, most of all, I like it when you bite your cheek when I say something embarrassing.”
“What?” Andrew looked at Neil in disbelief. How the hell did he notice that?
“I’m never ever ‘wasting my life’ with you, Andrew, and don’t you ever say otherwise.” Neil narrowed his eyes.
“How are you like this? Why are you like this? You’re someone who follows me around, but why Neil? How does me sitting in your car benefit you? See, you pick me up from therapy every single Wednesday because I’m,” Andrew’s lips quivered as he struggled to get the words out. “Fucking psycho, I snapped and hurt myself by breaking every single window in my house. Why do you like me, Neil? I am a ticking time bomb waiting to explode, and the first person that will be found with ash in his lungs is you. And also, stop it with that fucking nickname.”
“Is this what you think of yourself?” Neil asked.
A tear rolled down Andrew’s flushed face. “Sometimes.”
Neil parked the car at some random spot in town, and the first thing he did after was take Andrew’s bandaged hands into his own scarred hands. Neil caressed Andrew’s fingers, then brought them up to his chapped lips to kiss them.
“What I think of you, Andrew Joseph Dobson, is that you’re someone who’s thoughtful. You always put people like your brother, your mother, your friends, and me first. I think that you are ambitious; you dedicate hours to hockey and therapy so you can get better. I think that you are the most interesting person I’ve ever met.
Neil continued. “Your favorite ice cream flavor is Rocky Road, and if they don’t have it, you order cookies and cream. Your favorite band is Green Day, and you own all of their albums. Your favorite subject is English because writing essays is your specialty, and you love correcting your English teacher in class. Your favorite genre of movie is action and you hate horror because the stories suck and it’s not scary enough. Want me to continue?”
Andrew blinked away his tears. “Not really.”
“Just giving you a taste of reality,” Neil explained. “You’re better than you think you are, Andrew. Trust me.” The taller boy gave Andrew’s bandaged fingers another chaste kiss while Andrew’s skin turned red.
“But—” Andrew started, but the weight of Neil’s lips on his made him stop and close his eyes.
Neil’s scarred hands met Andrew’s cheeks, cupping them lightly. While Andrew’s arms wrapped around the back of Neil’s neck to steady them both. The two nipped and licked each other’s lips, exploring their mouths like they were traveling the world.
‘Yes,’ Andrew thought. ‘This is what I needed.’
Neil made embarrassing noises as Andrew swallowed them up like he said he would. They kissed like they were each other’s source of oxygen and like they were bound to never be separated from each other.
Andrew broke the kiss to take his seatbelt off along with Neil’s, and the boy himself is biting Andrew’s neck like it was a chew toy.
“Mm—Neil c’mere,” Andrew purred, pulling Neil closer by his waist. Andrew caressed the exposed skin from Neil’s tank top and his shorts, which was a dream of Andrew’s for the longest time. The two stared into each other’s eyes before hungrily moving in their respective directions to start and deepen their kiss.
Neil broke the kiss but not quite ending the enchanting spell between them. The taller boy continued sucking and biting on Andrew’s exposed neck.
“Fuck,” Andrew moved closer, so now that both boys’ chests met along with their lips, the blonde grabbed Neil’s curls for support and also to feel them like he always wanted to.
“Do you have a neck fetish, or—fuck,” Andrew cursed as Neil bit down a sensitive spot. “Something.”
Neil licked Andrew’s collarbone area, teasing him. “Mm, maybe.”
“Weirdo,” Andrew rolled his eyes playfully while moving his head up so it could be easier for Neil to work on him.
“Also—mm—for the record, I—” Andrew blushed. “I kind of like the pet name.”
Neil moved up from Andrew’s collarbone. “What? Really?”
“No jokes this time. They took away the privilege,” Andrew said.
“Oh, baby,” Neil sighed in relief.
“Just kiss me already.” Andrew’s eyes narrowed, but Neil’s widened, then closed as he leaned in with a firm grasp on Andrew’s waist.
Neil gave Andrew a chaste kiss on his lips. “You like me?”
“I hate you,” Andrew corrected, then quietly admitted. “I thought you didn’t swing.”
“Your brother thought that too. I thought that too, but it’s different when it’s with you, baby. I’m different around you; I get embarrassed and more weird, and I want to impress you. I want you to like me, Andrew,” Neil confessed, giving Andrew a kiss on his upper lip, where the mole was.
“I like you, Neil,” Andrew professed, whispering like someone was going to catch them, but loud enough so Neil could really get the message.
“That’s great, because I like you back,” Neil grinned, moving down to give Andrew another kiss as the shorter boy’s brain rewired itself to require Neil’s chapped and red lips to keep Andrew alive.
The twelfth time Andrew saw Neil was the taller boy waiting outside his door with a bouquet of red roses.
The two have been discussing their first dates for a few days now. Ultimately, they decided on a recently opened Italian restaurant in Columbia.
“Neil,” Andrew said with a slight smile on his face. The taller boy was wearing a blue suit that complimented his ocean blue eyes, along with a few gold bracelets to match. His auburn curls were definitely brushed out and gelled by Allison. On the other hand, Andrew was wearing a black suit with black and white sneakers since he did not own any fancy shoes.
“Baby, you look so handsome. These are for you,” Neil complimented, giving Andrew the red bouquet of flowers.
“Roses.” Andrew blinked, wondering if the gorgeous boy who was taking him out on a dance was a fake. Nope. It was all real.
Neil nodded, then raised an eyebrow at Aaron, who raced down the stairs and was panting.
“Aaron?” Neil tried getting the younger twin’s attention. The two have made up after their physical brawl because Neil confessed that he had liked Andrew for a long time but just couldn’t pinpoint his romantic feelings, and he said that he was most definitely not leading Andrew on.
“You are my best friend, Neil. But I’m giving you the shovel talk.” Aaron glared at his friend.
Andrew and Neil gave each other a look before Neil rolled his eyes. “Thought Bee would be doing it.”
“She’s working. Plus, it’s typically reserved for fathers, and since we do not have one, I’m the next best bet,” Aaron smirked.
“Oh, great,” Andrew sighed.
“You’re not getting the talk,” Neil nudged Andrew playfully.
“But I’m here listening to it,” Andrew reminded him.
“Ten p.m., sharp! Not a minute or second later, Josten. No fucking in Kevin’s car; I’ll be scarred for life, and Kevin would kill himself. And most importantly, treat my brother right, will you?” Aaron instructed.
“Of course I will,” Neil said immediately, even after quickly malfunctioning at the mention of having sex in Kevin’s car.
“Good,” Aaron nodded. “Have fun, lovebirds.”
“Lovebirds,” Andrew mocked.
“Shut up,” Aaron bit back.
“Thanks, bestie. I’ll see you later. Baby?” Neil grinned and offered Andrew his hand, which the blonde gladly accepted. Their scarred fingers intertwined with each other like they were one. Neil and Andrew pretended not to hear Aaron repeatedly yell, “Ten o'clock! Ten o'clock!”
“Yeah, Neil, no fucking in Kevin’s car,” Andrew teased.
Neil sighed. “As soon as I get my own, then...” he bit his lip.
“Kevin will be counting down the days until you get your own car,” Andrew stated. “And so will I,” he added.
“Sometimes he’s an ass, but right now he’s a saint for letting me borrow it,” Neil admitted. “And, for the record, I’m counting the days too.”
“Pfft,” Andrew said, biting the fleshy part of his lip to stifle his laughter.
“I want to kiss you so bad, baby,” Neil said, wetting his lips.
“I guess I’ll humor you,” Andrew grinned into Neil’s kiss. Their arms trailed across their bodies, mentally cursing that their suits were a barrier to touching each other’s bare skin. Andrew’s hands were on Neil’s waist, supporting Neil as the taller boy sucked on the blonde’s neck. Letting Neil indulge in this was humorous.
“You’re so weird,” Andrew teased, embarrassingly whimpering after Neil bit a sensitive spot.
“You like it,” Neil grinned into Andrew’s mouth.
They kissed like they were one, like their reservation at the restaurant didn’t matter. All that mattered was their lips connecting again after days of not seeing each other in school. Andrew had a firm grasp on Neil’s auburn curls as Neil was squeezing Andrew’s ass lightly as they nipped on each other’s lips.
The notification from Neil’s phone almost made Neil hit his head on the car’s ceiling and Andrew jump. Neil smiled sheepishly at his boyfriend. “Sorry.”
The text was from an angry Aaron which read, “Get the fuck out of my driveway already!”
Andrew almost laughed, but Neil did. Neil also gave Andrew a loving stare and a chaste kiss on his upper lip, exactly where the mole was that Neil mentioned the second time they saw each other.
“I messed up your hair,” Andrew stated.
Neil gave him a kiss on Andrew’s bandaged hands like it was the first time they kissed all over again. “You never mess anything up, baby.”
“In the mood for pasta?” Neil asked.
”You know it,” Andrew replied, moving over to give Neil a chaste kiss on his chapped and now-red lips.
Andrew Joseph Dobson is loved by Neil Abram Josten.
The thirteenth time Neil Josten saw Andrew Dobson was at the hockey championship match.
It was the last game of the year, and even though Neil was certainly not a super fan of hockey like Kevin was, he still went to all of the games to support his boyfriend.
Andrew was a superstar on the ice. He didn’t let even one puck in, he supported the team with long passes, and he already had college letters flying into his mailbox begging him to accept their hockey scholarships even though he was a junior and hasn’t applied to colleges yet.
After Kevin’s winning shot on the other team’s goal, the crowd cheered, and the entire Palmetto High School hockey team got together in a huge group hug. Though Neil only looked to his right at Andrew, taking off his mouth guard at the goal. His boyfriend didn’t like to be touched by others, let alone his teammates, whom he constantly expressed dislike for.
Andrew skated over to the bleachers, moving over to where Neil stood. Neil was watching the game with his group of friends, including Aaron, by his side. Neil got up and ran over to Andrew, picked him up, and spun him around in excitement.
“You did it, baby!” Neil exclaimed.
“Be careful, junkie. These blades could cut you,” Andrew said, looking down at his icy skates.
“Who cares about that? You won!” Neil grinned, letting go of Andrew and placing him down.
“Guess I did,” Andrew mumbled, glancing back at his barbaric teammates still chanting on the ice.
“Yes or no?” Andrew asked.
“Yes, anything for you,” Neil said softly.
Andrew’s kiss was even softer, and his bandaged hands on Neil’s scarred cheeks were the softest. The kiss wasn’t harsh and hungry like the others they shared; it was reliving; it was bliss.
Nobody else on the bleachers noticed them besides Neil’s friend group, and he could tell that Allison, Matt, and Dan were giving a wolf whistle as Renee gave a smile at her two friends being happy.
“Hey! Not in front of me,” Aaron snarled.
"Sorry, I can’t help it. Your brother’s my MVP,” Neil smirked, leaning in to give Andrew another soft kiss on his red skin.
"Oh, that’s disgusting,” Aaron cringed.
“Quiet.” Neil glared at his best friend.
“I don’t gag when you and your cheerleader kiss and tell,” Andrew commented.
“Well—” Aaron started.
“I don’t care.” Andrew rolled his eyes, peppering kisses on Neil’s scarred cheeks.
“You two are insufferable,” Aaron growled.
“He’s just mad he’s not my favorite Dobson anymore,” Neil told Andrew, who was biting his lip to stifle his laughter.
“Tragic.” Andrew smiled.
“Very.” Neil grinned, leaning down to capture his boyfriend’s lips once more.
Neil Abram Josten was loved by Andrew Joseph Dobson and will continue to be until the world collapses.