A Five-Minute Kiss

by Elen Chase

  "A picture of what?" Bill replied after a second.

  "Of you."

  A moment of thick silence followed, and Liam felt like the third wheel.

  "Ah! Ha ha ha!" Bill laughed widely on the other side of the watchpad. "You never fail to surprise me. What do you need it for?"

  What kind of question is that? They were a strange couple indeed.

  "I’ll just look at it for a moment, then I'll delete it."

  "Do you miss me so much? If you’re gonna wank over it, you can come over and get the real thing, you know."

  "Fuck you, I’m not," Dan replied and laid a kiss on Liam’s forehead.

  "All right. But next time I want you to tell me what this is about."

  "Deal." Dan hung up and searched for Liam’s lips to give him a short kiss. "Ginger? Are you angry? I thought you wanted me to call him."

  Liam shook his head and smiled at Dan. He knew right from the start that Dan was in a relationship. And he was the one who showed so much curiosity about Bill, so he should’ve seen it coming. Dan’s watchpad rang right in that moment. A text message from Bill said, “This is the first time I’ve taken a selfie. You better be grateful I'm doing this for you.” The text was followed by a picture. Grey eyes, dark hair on olive skin, and a nice six pack. Liam’s mouth almost fell open. Bill wasn’t built like a wrestler like he had imagined, he was an incredibly attractive guy instead.

  "I meant a picture with his shirt on. Maybe I should have specified that."

  "It's fine," Liam said. "Since I've lost my virginity, nothing can shock me. And, well, he’s hot." He wanted to speak seriously enough to make Dan laugh, but he ended up laughing instead.

  "Ah, is he?" Dan remarked and tickled him, making him giggle like a baby. Dan’s eyes widened as he realized how ticklish Liam was, and the grin on his face was the last thing Liam saw before finding himself twitching and laughing so hard that tears almost fell from his eyes.

  "Okay, I give up!" Liam exclaimed, exhausted, a blissed-out smile brightening his tired face. "I’m happy you’re here," he whispered.

  "I’m happy I’m here."

  Liam nuzzled up against Dan’s neck, and seconds later, he fell asleep in his arms.

  Chapter 9

  The next day they didn't wake up in time to go to school. Liam opened his eyes at 9 a.m. His face was buried in Dan’s side, half of his body sprawled on top of him. That position was sort of uncomfortable, considering that his bed was really small, but it felt domestic and good in more ways than he could explain.

  Dan woke up right after him, probably because he had felt Liam moving by his side.

  "It's this time already," he said hoarsely, looking at his watchpad.

  "This is the first time in my life that I’ve skipped class," Liam murmured, still sleepy.

  "A lot of first times for you, recently."

  "And it's all because of you."

  They kissed, lazily and deeply in the calm of the morning.

  "Dan…," Liam whispered between a kiss and the other, as a realization came to him. "Dan!"

  "What's wrong?"

  He was fully awake now and definitely panicking. "Mom! She could be back any moment now! She thinks I'm at school; what am I gonna tell her?"

  As if he had asked for it, they heard the front door of the house opening.

  "My parents don't even know I'm gay and having them find me in bed with a guy is not really how I wanted to tell them."

  "Ginger, calm down. To start, put some clothes on." Dan passed him his clothes and started getting dressed too.

  Soon Monica, Liam’s mother, spoke loudly from downstairs. "Liam, are you home? Your bag is in the living room."

  "What do I do?" Liam asked Dan.

  "Lie. We spent all night studying for the midterm exams and ended up falling asleep. Can you do it?" he said.

  He nodded, took a deep breath and opened the door. "Mom? Welcome back," he told her, getting out of the room. "I'm here with a friend," he added.

  "A friend?" Monica’s voice seemed happily surprised, which made Liam feel uncomfortable and guilty. The two of them headed downstairs.

  "Mrs. Carter, it's a pleasure. My name is Dan Price." Dan and the woman shook hands. Liam admired and at the same time wondered how he could look so comfortable in that awkward situation.

  "Nice to meet you, Dan," she said, blushing a little.

  Don't tell me she finds him attractive too.

  "I asked Dan to help me study yesterday, so we pulled an all-nighter," Liam explained, hoping not to sound too suspicious. "But in the end, we fell asleep and didn't make it in time for school."

  "Oh, my, I hope the exam wasn't today." She looked worried, and that contributed to Liam’s guilt trip.

  "No, it wasn’t today," he managed, unable to look into her eyes.

  "Well, I guess that it won’t hurt you to rest from school for once. You boys must be hungry. I'll make you something to eat."

  That said, she went to the kitchen. Liam looked at Dan and found him smiling at him.

  Yes. As long as you’re here, everything will be all right.

  ◆◆◆

  "I knew that something was going on here," Harry nodded with a grin on his face. Liam felt under pressure, as if he was being examined. He had been staring at his plate without taking a bite for almost twenty minutes.

  "Hey, Ginger, don’t mind him and eat something. He’ll be gone soon," Dan said, trying to reassure him. They were supposed to meet up at the Downtown central station, eat something quickly, and get back to Liam’s place to take advantage of the fact that tonight he was going to be home alone again. And yet they were stuck in a pub at the station, eating a burger with Dan’s gorgeous blond friend, who couldn’t keep his eyes off him. Dan turned to Harry and said, "Look, you wanted to know who I was meeting. Now you know, so can’t you just fuck off somewhere?"

  "That’s rude, Danny. Obviously, I was curious to see who this person is that makes you go to school every day." He turned to Liam. "He never had such a regular school attendance before you."

  Dan exhaled nervously and said, "First, don’t call me that. Second, I’m going to school because I have exams that I cannot miss if I want to graduate this year."

  Liam glimpsed at him, just a little disappointed. It was nice to think that he was the reason why Dan was going to school regularly.

  "Dan, you’re an asshole. Don’t you see you’ve just hurt him?"

  How did he notice that? Liam felt his face flush from embarrassment. He had to do something to change the subject.

  "Can I ask you something? How are you friends exactly?" he finally said.

  "We work together."

  "We live together."

  They spoke at the same time. That was more than confusing.

  "We work together," Dan remarked one more time.

  "Technically, I quit the job last week. And I’m staying at his place until I move in with my boyfriend Jake next month, so it’s more accurate to say that we live together."

  "It’s not accurate at all, and what do you mean with ‘next month’? You’re supposed to move out on Monday."

  "Oops. Didn’t I tell you? Jake’s roommate needs to stay there a little longer than he thought."

  "You’re fucking with me," Dan complained and kicked him under the table.

  "Ouch!" Harry shot Dan a glance, then looked at Liam and said, "Don’t worry, he doesn’t mean literally. We’ve done some stupid things together, but we’ve never been compatible from that point of view—"

  "Okay, that’s enough!" Dan kicked Harry again and took Liam’s hand in his. "I’m sorry about this," he told him quietly. "It’s making you uncomfortable."

  "To be honest, yes," Liam confessed. "But it’s the first time I’ve seen you with a friend, and I like it. Until now you’ve been a sort of hero to me, perfect and invincible. Seeing that with Harry you’re less perfect than I imagined makes me smile. I feel like I got to know you a little better."

  A moment of
silence followed, in which Liam was sure Dan felt embarrassed. Maybe that’s the reason why he immediately grabbed the opportunity to leave the table when Harry asked him to go get something to drink.

  When the two of them were alone, Harry looked straight into Liam’s eyes and said, "You’re in love with him."

  Liam’s heart jumped.

  "Yes," he admitted.

  Harry gave him a sympathetic smile. "You must have it tough."

  "You mean… because of Bill?"

  "Is that what worries you? It’s true that they have quite a thing going on, but they’ve never been exclusive. I’m sure Bill’s sleeping with other people too. Anyway, if I got to choose, I like you better."

  "If you didn’t mean Bill, what were you talking about?"

  "You fell for an emotionally constipated guy, Liam. Did you ever notice how he tenses up when you get too close to him?"

  He had noticed. It had happened when they were talking about his paintings and even right before he left the table to go get the drinks.

  "Why is he like that? Nobody is born so guarded, right? Something must’ve happened."

  "He doesn’t like to talk about it, but I know that when he lived in Uptown, a girl he loved died. He never confirmed it, but I think everything’s somehow connected to that."

  Now, that was unexpected.

  A girl he loved died. He moved to Downtown. His mother abandoned him. The more Liam found out about Dan’s background, the sadder he felt for him.

  "Here we go," Dan said, bringing the drinks to the table. He sat back by Liam’s side and passed an arm around his shoulders. "Ginger, are you okay?"

  Liam smiled and laid a kiss on his cheek.

  "Yes," he said.

  If when I’m with you I can make things all right, even a little, I never want to leave you.

  Chapter 10

  "Finally!" Dan exclaimed as he let himself fall on Liam’s bed later that night.

  Liam knelt on the floor by the bed’s side and passed his hand through his hair. "I like Harry," he said. "At first I was nervous to be there with him, but now I think he’s a nice person."

  "I guess he isn’t too terrible."

  "Dan, will you stop going to school again when the exams are over?"

  "I'll try showing up once in a while, and I'll be back before the finals in July."

  "So, I won't be able to see you for a while…. I'll go through withdrawal."

  Dan hugged him, passing his arms around his torso, and pulled him up, making him fall on the bed next to him. They kissed for an indefinite time, lost in each other.

  "Ginger… you can call me anytime, okay? I'll come to see you."

  "If you say that, I will really call you at any time, you know." Liam smiled sadly. He was awfully going to miss him. "To be honest, today I invited you here for a reason," he confessed.

  "To have sex undisturbed."

  "Yes, but listen to me. There’s something I want to tell you before the sex. I mean, I was supposed to say it before you pointed out we were going to have sex, but anyway…."

  Dan looked at him with curiosity. "What is it?"

  "There's a competition for a scholarship in July, to be transferred to a Science School in Uptown. If I win, I could move there in September and finish High School there."

  "Liam, that’s amazing. You have to go for it."

  "I will," he said with a nod of his head. "I want you to know that this is all thanks to you. Since I met you, you’ve been adding so much to my life… and the more I experience new things with you, the more I want us to be closer. Tonight, I wanted… I want to have anal sex with you." Putting it into words was more embarrassing than he thought. "I want to know what it feels like to be all yours."

  Dan seemed surprised. "Are you sure?"

  "I'm sure," he confirmed. "But you'll need a lot of patience with me."

  "That goes without asking, Ginger. But I don’t have—"

  "I have them. Condoms and lube. I’m mentally prepared, I just… need to ask you a few questions."

  "I’m STD negative. I get tested regularly and got the results just a couple of days ago."

  "Oh. Actually, I wasn’t thinking about that."

  Dan blinked with both eyes twice, making a blank expression, then poked his forehead.

  "Ouch! What was that about?"

  "A lesson for the future. Always ask this sort of thing, and don’t blindly trust the answer. Your health always comes first."

  "Yes. You’re right," he admitted hesitantly, though right now it was impossible for him to even imagine having sex with someone who wasn’t Dan.

  "What did you want to ask me, then?"

  "I was thinking… you went immediately on top with me, but do you bottom too?"

  "Yup, I'm pretty versatile."

  "And with Bill?"

  "Bottom."

  "What is it like?"

  Dan seemed to be taking a moment to think about what to tell him. Liam truly appreciated that he always took his questions seriously and replied to him honestly.

  "Well… tight. At first, you'll probably think that it's impossible for anything to go in. You need to use a lot of lube and you have to be very, very relaxed. Once you get used to it, it feels incredibly good. I'll make sure you enjoy it, don't worry."

  "Did you enjoy it? I mean your first time."

  "My first time was awkward and embarrassing as hell. But I didn’t hate it."

  "Was it with Bill?"

  A moment of silence followed.

  Dan bit his lower lip and said, "Liam, listen. I think at this point I have to tell you about my job."

  What was that about now? Liam was confused.

  At that moment Dan’s watchpad rang, and they both looked at the display. It was a call from a certain Nick. Dan tensed up all of a sudden. "I have to take this," he told Liam.

  "Dan, finally you picked it up! Where are you?" The person on the other side of the line was talking so loudly that Liam could hear all he said. Nick seemed nervous and agitated.

  "I’m with someone. What's going on?"

  "The gang of the north district, they said they had you!"

  "What?"

  "Bill went there to take you back. He's alone!" Nick screamed.

  Dan's expression changed into an impossibly worried one, and he turned pale.

  Nick continued, "We have captured one of their kids too, but the little shit won’t talk."

  "I'm coming," Dan said, cold as ice. He looked angry now, an entirely different person compared to before.

  "Dan…." Liam quietly called his name, hoping he would tell him something, but it looked like his voice wasn't able to reach him.

  "I have to go," he said, hurriedly. "I’m sorry."

  He's going to him.

  That's where his priorities lie after all.

  Chapter 11

  Dan didn't go to school or call Liam in the following days.

  Liam, on the other hand, didn't have the courage to be the first one to call, thinking he could be with Bill. For him, school had now gone back to being a cold, lonely building. Even the library was too empty without Dan sitting in front of him.

  One day, when Liam got back home from school, he found both his parents at home, waiting for him. His first reaction was to worry; it was rare for the three of them to be home at the same time in the evening. Did something happen?

  "I took a day off," his father explained, giving him a big smile. "Today your mother and I want to celebrate!"

  "Celebrate?" Liam was confused. It wasn't one of their birthdays, neither his parents’ anniversary.

  An explanation finally came from his mother. "The principal called us today. He said you are going to try the exam for an Uptown Science School in July! We are so proud of you, Liam."

  Right. He had been so worried about the situation with Dan that he completely forgot to inform his parents of his decision to try the competition. He still didn’t feel like celebrating, also considering the terrible experience he ha
d had when he applied for a similar exam in middle school, but he was happy his parents were so supportive of him. They had dinner together, and Liam was glad to still have something to be happy for, despite his broken heart. When they finished eating, he helped with the dishes, now longing for the moment he could go back to his room and be alone for a while. Unfortunately, that plan was ruined by his father.

  "Liam, wait a moment," his father said, with his lips now curved in a troubled smile. "There's just one more thing we wanted to discuss with you."

  That sounded like trouble. Liam tried to remember if he had done something he shouldn’t have that they might have found out. The only thing that came to his mind was the time he had ended up in the hospital and lied his way out without calling them. Since they had spoken with the principal, it was possible that it came out.

  "The principal told us that recently you became friends with a fourth-year student," his father began.

  Upon hearing those words, Liam’s chest grew heavy with nervousness.

  The man continued, "He said this boy is a problematic child."

  Liam couldn’t look his parents in the eyes, for two reasons: first, because he was madly in love with the problematic boy in question; second, why the hell did the principal tell them that? He knew nothing about Dan.

  "Is he?" Liam managed to say. "With all the scumbags that attend that school, they consider him problematic?"

  He realized he felt truly offended by it as if he had been insulted personally.

  "Well," his father said as he scratched his head nervously. "He also said there are some rumors about you at school…. He's worried this might have a negative influence on your academic performance, for the competition."

  Liam clenched his fists. He couldn’t believe they were really having that conversation.

  His mother took advantage of the moment of silence that followed, adding, "We know how you suffered because of false rumors about you already in middle school…. We’re worried it might happen again now."

  What the hell are you talking about?

  "Maybe, for the time being, you should keep your distance from him," his father concluded.