More Than Just Friends

by Max Hudson

  "Here, have a look," Lance said, practically beaming as he held out the bag for Stefan.

  Stefan nodded and took the bag, placing it on the bed and opening it. There was a little card, lined with an adorably terrible hand-painted drawing. It looked like Lance might have started out with some sort of an artistic vision, but had got carried away and made a total mess of it as he progressed. It was beautiful. The flowers were only just starting to open, and still damp from having just been taken out of a jug or glass in Lance's room. Lance had even remembered what Stefan's favorite chocolate candy was. He opened the box, put a chocolate in his mouth, and collapsed backwards again.

  Stefan felt the bed creak a little as Lance lay down behind him, wrapping his arms around Stefan's chest, pulling himself in under Stefan's arm. Stefan gently grasped Lance's shoulder and pulled him even closer.

  "Happy?" Lance asked.

  "More than I thought I ever would be," Stefan said before he could stop himself.

  "You like caramels that much?" Lance replied.

  Stefan laughed. "I like you that much."

  Then it struck him. Stefan had not expected anything more than dinner. He had not planned anything for the day. He had not gotten Lance anything at all. "Uh, I didn't get you anything, or make you anything. I'm sorry, I'm kind of awful."

  "You're not awful, you are wonderful," Lance replied. "That's why I wanted to get you some things. I wanted to let you know that, well..."

  "That what?" Stefan asked, eating another bite of ginger chocolate.

  "Nah, it's stupid," Lance said.

  Stefan patted Lance on the shoulder reassuringly. "I'm sure it isn't."

  "Well, I wanted to let you know that even though we have only been seeing each other like this for a few days, I have loved you for a very long time, in many different ways, and that love is as important as what it's turned into," Lance said, his brown cheeks growing redder and redder with each word.

  "That is the most poetic thing I have ever heard," Stefan said, planting a soft kiss on Lance's forehead.

  "Yeah, it was dumb, right?" Lance muttered.

  "Not at all. It was beautiful," Stefan insisted. "I still haven't got anything for you, though. Want me to cover dinner?"

  Lance shook his head and nuzzled Stefan's chest. "Nah, I want to pay for that. I paid the reservation anyway."

  "Then it's only right I pay for dinner," Stefan insisted.

  He took Lance's silence as agreement.

  "Here, you can share with me," he said, lifting a ginger cube to Lance's lips. "It's the least I can do. I am such a terrible boyfriend."

  "You're not terrible," Lance said, leaning in and taking the ginger between his teeth before collapsing back against Stefan. "Want to just lie here, then?"

  "Yep," Stefan replied. "Stay in bed."

  Lance rolled over on the bed and took out his mobile, scrolling through something or other rather quickly and absentmindedly. Stefan didn't mind. He was just happy to be relaxing in bed, cuddled up with the only person he had ever felt so much love for, eating his favorite chocolates. It was too nice. Too perfect.

  "I've just realized," Lance said suddenly.

  Stefan rolled onto his side. "Realized what?"

  "Do you even have a suit to go out in?" Lance asked. "You don't usually do this sort of stuff. This is what I wanted to wear, but I don't want to look overdressed."

  Stefan paused. "I think I have a suit that matches, actually," Stefan said with a grin. "I mean, it might not fit me very well any more, I have to see."

  Lance raised an eyebrow at Stefan.

  Stefan shrugged a little. "Look, like you said, I don't usually do this. I can go in a shirt and jeans, right?"

  Lance nodded. "I just want to look sort of the same as you."

  "You want it to be obvious that we're a couple?" Stefan asked.

  "Well, kinda. But we'll be assumed to be together either way. May as well look like we belong together," Lance explained.

  "Okay, I'll see what I got and you can match me," Stefan said, stroking Lance's hair.

  Suddenly, Lance was on top of him again, staring into Stefan's eyes, stroking his cheeks and neck gently. He leaned in and brushed their lips together.

  "You're the only gift I needed," Stefan whispered against Lance's lips. It was corny, but it felt right.

  Making a sound somewhere between a gasp and a stifled squeal, Lance leaned in and kissed Stefan harder, biting Stefan's lip gently and tugging it. Stefan sighed into the kiss and pulled Lance into his lap. As their lips parted, he remembered his mother would be home and most likely in the front room. He froze.

  "What's the matter?" Lance asked. "You're tense."

  "I think Mom is up," Stefan said, his voice dropping into a whisper.

  "Are you worried she will find out?" Lance asked. There was an edge to the question, like this was something that had been playing on Lance's mind.

  "Kind of," Stefan admitted.

  "Why?" Lance pressed.

  Stefan shrugged. "I don't know what she will think."

  "Do you think it will be bad? I figured she was pretty cool in that sense," Lance said.

  "It's not the gay thing, it's, well, the me thing. I think she thinks I'm straight. You're straight. It might shock her. I don't want to stress her out like that. She stresses enough about me as it is," Stefan explained.

  "Well, I thought we were too, but we're not. We can all adapt. I don't think it will be a big deal," Lance said.

  Stefan knew Lance was right, but it was hard to think of it that way. It was different when it was something that affected him directly. His mother wanted a daughter-in-law, children, a growing family. He was her only child, he had never had a serious girlfriend, and he felt fairly sure that Lance was the one. He didn't want to break her hopes like that.

  "I never even liked a guy before. I thought I was pretty messed up when I realized what I was feeling," Lance confessed. "I mean, I guess, looking back, I've always liked you a bit. I just never realized it. It's different when you live it."

  Stefan just nodded. Lance understood. "I don't know if I've ever liked anyone before," Stefan said with a slight laugh. "Either mom already knows and has known for a year or more, or she doesn't know and this will be shocking to her."

  "I think she will love you either way," Lance insisted.

  Stefan nodded. "Have you got lectures, by the way?"

  "Some tutor meets," Lance replied. "You?"

  "Same," Stefan said, feeling himself a little heavy.

  "Wanna skip?" Lance asked.

  Stefan liked the idea. He would much rather skip class and just stay home, watching cartoons and playing games in his room with Lance. His mother seemed none the wiser as the two young men sat in their boxers, watching cartoons and playing video games, chatting as casually as always, grabbing one another's bodies and sneaking kisses between activities. It gave Stefan a little confidence that he would be accepted, without fuss or fanfare, and that this could be his new normal. He just needed to build himself up a bit first, before he could come out to his mother.

  Hearing the front door close, Stefan realized that they would have to be in front of her, dressed up for their date, if they didn't get it sorted before she came home. He stood up and made his way to the wardrobe, checking to see if he had anything remotely smart that would fit him.

  "What are you doing?" Lance asked, looking away from the cartoon they had both been watching.

  "I think my mom's gone out," Stefan said. "If we want to get dressed and go out, maybe now is the opportunity. This suit will fit, if you have something to go with it?"

  Lance nodded and stood up, making his way out to the spare room.

  Once he was dressed, Stefan walked out into the front room to wait for Lance. He knew he didn't look amazing. The suit wasn't his usual clothing, and he had put on a little too much muscle for the shirt, so he couldn't button the collar properly. But he felt glad he would be able to look smart for Lance. It was the least
he could do.

  On the other hand, as soon as Lance stepped out of the craft room, Stefan was blown away by how absolutely stunning he looked. The sharp suit, the red shirt, the way the colors picked up on the chestnut hues in Lance's hazel eyes. It was like looking at some sort of an angel.

  "Do I look stupid?" Lance asked.

  Stefan shook his head. "You look amazing."

  Lance blushed and grinned. "So do you. Let's get some shots for the net."

  "I don't know..." Stefan replied, already feeling anxious about who might see the pictures.

  "Okay, just for us, if that's all right," Lance replied.

  Stefan fumbled with his phone in his pocket before getting it out. Stefan extended his arm, inviting Lance to come and stand by his side. Lance wrapped one arm around Stefan's waist as Stefan draped his arm over Lance's shoulder. They snapped a few selfies of themselves embracing and holding hands. Lance was getting a bit bolder with each photo, a little more handsy, a little more intimate, building up to kissing Stefan as the phone camera flashed. Stefan would have been lying if he'd said he wasn't swept up in it all too.

  Just as they were taking another shot, the front door opened. Stefan's mom was back.

  Stefan dropped his phone and let go of Lance's hand, freezing. Even though he knew his mother would not be hostile, even though he knew she was a loving, accepting parent, that was in part what he was worried about. That she would take it too far, that she would be so pandering and smothering he would end up humiliated in front of Lance. All his fears seemed to come crashing down on him at once and he didn't know what to do.

  Now that she had seen them both dressed up to go out, holding hands for their social media picture, she had to know already. There was no going back, no denying it. Might as well get this over and done with. Stefan could feel his hands shaking.

  "Going anywhere nice?" Stefan's mother asked with a smile.

  Lance's hand slipped into Stefan's hand, and as Lance's fingers squeezed him, Stefan felt himself stop shaking. He took a deep breath.

  "Uh, Mom," Stefan said with a bit of a shrug and a shuffle. "I've been meaning to tell you, but Lance and I are kind of dating."

  Chapter Fifteen

  "I know," Mrs. James said flatly.

  Of course she did. She would have had to possess no physical senses and no brain at all to not notice. Still, Stefan seemed surprised at this news.

  "So, what did you think when you worked out that I—" Stefan began, stopping mid-sentence.

  Lance squeezed Stefan's hand again. He wasn't sure why Stefan was so nervous, but he wasn't about to deny his boyfriend's feelings.

  "I thought 'thank goodness you have a solid relationship for once'!" she said with a laugh. "If your reason for not bringing girls home was because you're gay, you could have told me a decade ago, though."

  Stefan laughed nervously. "I dunno, I didn't even know I was gay myself. Or if I am."

  "Well, you are seeing Lance, so I think maybe, I don't know. How does this work, Lance?" she asked.

  Stefan looked visibly uncomfortable at what she was saying. Whose parents didn't embarrass them at least half the time?

  Lance shrugged a little. "I don't know. We're just figuring this out."

  "You don't mind that I am maybe gay, or bi, or whatever?" Stefan asked, still blushing and avoiding eye contact.

  "Oh, honey, I would accept you if you were one of those people who weren't straight or gay or whatever," she said. "I was just sad for myself. Which is kind of selfish, I know, but just because it's my problem doesn't mean I'm not allowed to feel it."

  "I'm sorry if I let you down at all," Stefan said, gripping Lance's hand.

  "No, if you feel like you couldn't tell me, then I let you down," Mrs. James said, shaking her head. "Now, you two wanted some good pictures for social media?"

  Stefan looked down to his feet, where his phone rested on the carpet. "Yeah."

  "Come over here, stand by the plants," she said, waving to the potted plants near the balcony with one hand and with the other she dove into her handbag and produced her phone. "I'm going to get a decent photo of you two."

  "This had better not end up all over your scrapbook, virtual pinboards," Stefan said, blushing bright red. "You know I don't like them."

  "I'll just hide your face, then," she said, sticking her tongue out like a teenager.

  Stefan grumbled something that not even Lance could hear, but still made his way over to the plants with Lance. As they stood in the late morning light, Lance felt a sense of serenity wash over his whole self. This was it. This was them, now formal, out to Stefan's mother, about to go for Valentine’s Day lunch together. And Lance felt strangely complete, like he had never felt before. He felt like all his life had been leading up to this moment.

  As far as Stefan's mother's reaction, Lance was pretty relieved. He wasn't sure why, but from Stefan's behavior he'd assumed she wouldn't be all right with it. This whole time, Stefan had been so cagey that Lance had been convinced there would be something wrong. And he couldn't quite let go of that confusion.

  "Your mom is taking this well," he said as Mrs. James was distracted scrolling through the pictures. "What were you so worried about?"

  "Worried?" Stefan asked.

  "Yeah, you seemed really concerned about this whole thing, trying to hide it from her," Lance elaborated.

  Stefan was blushing and laughed nervously. "Well, not exactly."

  "Then... what?" Lance asked. He needed to know what was going on here.

  Stefan rolled his eyes. "I just knew she would make a big deal about it. Like this."

  Suddenly it all made sense. Stefan was ashamed. It wasn't anything serious or dangerous. Stefan was just figuring himself out, and wanted to do it without being showered in his mother's adoration.

  "So, you just were scared of being smothered?" Lance asked.

  "What's that?" Mrs. James said. At some point she must have finished inspecting her photos and started paying attention to the two young men.

  "Stefan didn't want you to know," Lance replied.

  Stefan nodded. "Yeah, because mom always makes a big deal about this. You know our photos are gonna be all over Scrapbook, right?"

  "Of course they will. I'm proud of my little boy," she insisted. "Now, wait here, I have a nice pair of matching ties you two can wear."

  As she walked off, Lance laughed, partly in relief, partly in amusement at the whole situation. "So, that was anticlimactic. And what's this about ties?"

  Stefan shrugged a little. "I think her accessory business is taking off, so she's got all this stuff she likes me wearing. She's actually pretty talented."

  "I still don't see why this was such a big deal to you, to be fair," Lance replied, gently caressing Stefan's hand. "I mean, she is being pretty cool about it."

  "I don't like the public stuff, at all," Stefan said. "I want to just get on with it. She's been so obsessed with me getting a partner for so long, I didn't want her to make a big deal of it, but it's kind of, actually a big deal for her."

  Lance nodded. He understood. "She was going to be excited about it either way, though."

  "It's annoying," Stefan replied.

  "I think it's cute," Lance said with a grin. "I wish my mother was as affectionate as yours."

  As she emerged with the ties, Lance could tell Stefan was mulling this over. The ties had little heart prints on them, and were amazingly well made. Lance wouldn't have guessed they were handmade. She still hovered over them as they put on the ties, helping them adjust the knots, taking pictures of them once they were fully dressed and ready to go.

  Stefan embraced his mother gently before leaving the door. "Sorry I'm such an ungrateful brat, Mom," he said. "And thanks for the ties, they are actually really romantic."

  Mrs. James laughed. "You're not a brat, Stefan. Now, go have fun."

  For once, it seemed like Stefan really was planning on having fun on an afternoon out.

  Lance had been a bit
scared he'd see Millie at Gianni and Pedro's fusion restaurant. He hadn't told her about the reservation, but it was one of her favorites. He had a vague sense, the whole walk down, that he would run into her and she would flip out at him. He shouldn't have worried, though, because it was packed. As they arrived, there were countless other couples, the lights were low and somehow tinted a pinkish red, and everyone was entirely focused on their partner. It was going to be peaceful after all.

  Lance had also worried that Stefan, being a born introvert, would not be able to enjoy such a busy atmosphere. However, for the first time since they had become friends, Stefan seemed calm about the whole situation. It was like a little bubble enveloped them, and nothing else in the whole world could get through to cause them harm.

  Lance knew that was how it was meant to be all along.