Page 29

ALEX

We dance for another two hours, the rave never stopping its high, upbeat ambiance.

Noel looks as beautiful as ever, smiling nonstop, with flashes of vibrant neon green from his headband and makeup in the black lights. He stares at me like I'm his .

And I am.

“Let's head back,” I yell over the music as he watches me, hands roaming down my stomach as he swings his hips.

He nods and mouths, “Yeah, let's find the others.”

He takes my hand, and we squeeze through the dancing bodies. Ace is easiest to find, dancing on top of a broken cement block placed against the wall. Noel tugs at his leg, getting his attention. Ace nods and climbs down with a happy laugh, hugging Noel immediately with arms wrapped around his neck.

Noel smiles down at him.

I leave them together and search for the other two.

It takes a couple minutes to find Grady who's grinding on a guy half his size. There's a girl in there too. Grady appears to have lost his shirt, his brown skin shimmering with so much fucking glitter that he looks like a disco ball, and someone snapped little glowing beads into his braids that are tied up on top of his head.

I sidle up behind him, mouth closing in on his ear as I grip his ass in my palms. “Hey, big boy.”

He doesn't even spin around to see who's fondled him. Just laughs and sticks his fat ass out.

I roll my eyes. “We're heading out.”

He turns around and nods in acknowledgement with a sly grin. I leave him to finish his three-way and look around for Levi, who's probably off sulking somewhere.

I get danced on by multiple guys and girls as I walk around, annoyed I'm having to do this at all. We should have just made a plan to meet up at a certain time at the front entrance.

Ace and Noel find me, so we all search together.

Finally, I spot Levi's tall form nearing the opening entrance to the tunnel. It's quieter the closer we get to him so we can talk and actually hear one another.

“Levi!” Ace runs up on him, jumping into his arms. He doesn't seem too fazed by the display of affection Ace seems to always need where he's concerned. “Where'd you run off to? I missed you!”

Levi huffs, turning his head to the side. But not before I see his face.

He's upset over something. It looks like he's close to tears. He grumbles, “Had to go piss,” and sets Ace down gently.

“Let's go; I've got water in the car,” I announce loudly, ready to get back home.

We make our way down the long tunnels, couples and groups of people scattered throughout, laughing and crying.

Emotions run high in these things.

I unlock my vehicle, and they grab the water bottles I had placed under the seats.

Grady plops down in the back with a laugh. “What a night.”

“That was so much fun!” Ace pokes Noel's cheek while leaning against the car. “I know you and Alex had a good time,” he says suggestively with a taunting grin.

Noel bites his lip, removing the headband. “I’m exhausted,” he mutters to change the subject.

“Guuuuys, I love you,” Ace whines, pulling Noel and Levi into his side with a hug. He's so tiny between them. Levi shoves his hands into his jacket, pissed off as usual.

Noel shocks me when he says it back to him, a drunk smile on his face. “Love you too, Ace.”

I fall even harder for him. He's too precious. There's a shyness about him, an unsure nervousness that makes me want to go to him and kiss his forehead.

Ugh, I'm soft and sappy for that doe-eyed, stargazing, anime loving boy.

And I wouldn't give him up for anything.

Ace inhales sharply, caught off guard by his words, but he does his best to hide what it means to him, not wanting to embarrass Noel.

And that's why I like Ace.

“We should go stargazing!” He abruptly shouts.

“W-what?” Noel shakily laughs.

“I don't want to go home yet! Let's drive to that place you go.”

Grady hums. “I second that.”

“You guys want to see the field I go to?”

“Yes!”

Noel turns to me. “Alex?”

I know what he's asking. If I'm comfortable going to the field that holds a special memory for us. I open my door and get inside, starting it up.

The others get in after a second of hesitation. Noel sits in the passenger seat.

“I should have a blanket in the trunk,” I say as I back out, getting us on the road.

“Yeah?” I see Noel smile from the corner of my eye.

“We're going to be cold as fuck; you all know that, right?”

“We won't stay long!” Ace chirps from the backseat.

“You guys have fun with that; I'll stay in the car,” Levi mutters.

“If only we had hot chocolate to keep us warm, right, doe eyes?” I raise my brow in his direction.

Noel laughs, wiping under his eye. “Yeah.”

I turn the music up and drive.

I watch Grady and Ace in the rear view as they nod along to the music, smiling at each other and talking low. Levi has his head on the window with his eyes closed.

Noel reaches for my hand, brings it up to his lips, and kisses my knuckles. His big eyes innocently watch me as he bites at my middle knuckle playfully.

I laugh softly, reaching out to grip his jaw, moving his head back and forth with a low chuckle.

“Watch it,” I warn him.

“Or what?”

“Or I'll shove my fingers down your throat.”

He laughs. “That's not a threat, baby.”

Great, now I can feel my cheeks getting warm. It’s the second time tonight he’s said that word, baby , and my chest aches at the cheesy pet name. But I want him to say it again, to call me his baby while we fuck, to tell me I’m being a good boy. I want to fuck him so deep and hard that he sees his beloved stars and maybe a new universe, too.

I narrow my eyes on him. “You're drunk.”

He starts to do a little dance to the music and smiles broadly. “Yup.”

Noel in this state is dangerous. He doesn't give a fuck about our friends in the backseat who can clearly hear and see what we're doing.

I sneak a glance in the mirror. Ace is smirking at me, watching our interaction.

Then he unbuckles his seatbelt and climbs in Grady's lap, straddling him.

I blink away the shock and focus on driving.

Noel is still vibing to the beat of the music we're listening to, bobbing his head. His hand in mine, tapping along.

I chance another look, curious at what Ace is fucking up to.

And immediately regret it when I see their mouths connected, Ace’s hands on Grady's face, clawing at him. Grinding down on his lap with a slow move of his hips, all the while Levi is sleeping on his other side, oblivious.

Grady has his legs spread open, hands palming Ace’s ass, helping to move him down on his probably massive erection.

Jesus, what the fuck? Ace is in love with Levi, not Grady.

Unless…

Ace is using him.

And maybe not in the way that makes the most sense. Ace probably feels frustrated and lonely, having Levi be so close but never within reach.

Maybe he uses Grady to feel something.

Grady would do anything for him. If Ace randomly climbed into his lap and started kissing him, he'd go along with it, because their relationship is special.

They're best friends.

Ace isn't so far drunk that he doesn't know what he's doing. And neither is Grady.

Hell, Grady is probably used to him doing this shit.

Noel turns to me, curious as to why I'm laughing.

He turns around randomly, thinking it's probably one of them, and sure enough it is. Just not what Noel is expecting. His eyes widen, and his mouth drops open with a gasp.

“What the fuck?” he whispers so only I can hear.

He spins back around, his cheeks bright red.

I shake my head. He doesn't turn back around for the next ten minutes.

I might sneak a few glances in the rearview. They pull away after a while. Ace getting back in the middle spot, buckling up.

Good thing too, because we're nearing the field.

And absolute perfect timing for Levi, who stretches out, arms wide open, accidentally hitting Ace's arm.

I turn the music down, pulling into the little dirt path.

NOEL

“This is it?” Levi mutters, sitting up. Alex parks on the side of the field.

“What else is a field supposed to look like?” Grady snarks, unlocking the backseat and getting out. “Thought you were staying in the car.”

“I want to see what Noel finds so interesting about looking at the sky.”

We find a good spot to lay out the blanket and

Levi lays down first, Ace following after. The blanket isn't very big, so we end up in a weird, too close for comfort position.

Grady is the biggest, and he lays in the middle, so he's touching all of us somehow. Levi is beside him, with Ace using them both to lay sideways on top.

I choose to put my legs over Ace's and lay on Alex's stomach, sideways so I'm facing Ace.

“Hey, watch it!” Levi grumbles when Ace shifts too close to his dick.

“This is by far the gayest thing we've ever done.”

“For you, maybe. Wait, what about the time—”

Levi slaps a hand over Ace's mouth to shut him up.

Grady starts to laugh.

“No, I want to hear what he has to say,” I add, laughing with Grady.

“Tell them and you die.”

“Wow, it must've been good.” My eyebrows raise in disbelief.

Alex snorts. “He probably got drunk, and some guy's mouth magically found its way to his dick.”

Ace laughs uncomfortably but doesn't say anything. I look over at Levi, who's ghostly pale.

“What a beautiful night,” Grady blurts, changing the subject to help them both out, I'm sure. Alex is silently laughing, and I nudge his ribs with my elbow.

“It's a bit cloudy; you can't really stargaze when the weather is like this.”

Grady hums. “It's still nice.”

It is. I never thought I'd wind up sharing a blanket under the stars with anyone besides Alex, and yet… here we are.

“This would be a million times cooler if we were high,” Ace mumbles under his breath, and I feel Grady move around.

“We're in luck. I rolled a joint before we left.” Grady sticks his tongue out with a chuckle, pulling it out along with a cheap lighter. He flicks the BIC and takes a moment to light up. He takes two long puffs before passing it to Ace.

“Noel, have you smoked before?” Ace asks.

“No.”

“You want to try?”

“Actually, yeah, I do.”

Alex huffs a laugh, clearly amused I want to. Ace brings it to my lips, and I inhale.

It's definitely not what I expected, as it fills my lungs. When I let it out, I cough. That's embarrassing.

They don't laugh or poke fun at my first smoke session, and I'm sure I'm not going to get high just from one puff, but it feels kind of nice.

Ace takes it back with a smile.

The smell wafts in the air above us, and it's relaxing. Everyone gets a turn, with Levi hogging it the longest. No one seems to care that we're sharing it either. I would think Levi would hate something that all our mouths have been on.

Ace breaks the quiet of our bubble. “Okay, Stargazer, show me some constellations.”

I smile, pointing where I see Cassiopeia, using my finger to make the shape of the five stars connecting. “There's Cassiopeia, an easy one to spot.”

“Uhhhh…”

“Orion’s belt is also visible there.” I point at the cluster of three stars. “He's pointing his bow that way. See the outline of a man?”

“This is hard. Do you guys see a dude with a bow?”

“What if there really is a dude with a bow up there, looking down on us?” Grady questions ominously, and I snort.

“I'm hungry,” Ace groans. “All that dancing made me crave pizza. Or noodles. Oooh, or chicken nuggets!”

“Fucking chicken nuggets,” Grady adds.

“Baklava,” Levi joins in, and it goes silent.

“What the fuck is Baklava?” Alex asks first, turning his head towards Levi.

“It's a pastry!” Ace chirps. “Levi's favorite.”

“Of course it is. I'm sure you make it for him all the time, like a good little chef.”

Ace kicks at Alex’s arm.

“I can see Uranus from here,” Grady jokes, pointing up.

“That joke is never funny,” Levi grumbles while Ace laughs.

“Uranus jokes are always funny.” Alex pokes me.

We spend the next half hour talking about school and fencing, then end up on Grady's wild sex life, which I do not want to talk about, so I stargaze instead.

“Think we'll still talk after graduation?” I ask, wanting to be serious for a moment. Ace is the first to say anything.

“Duh! After graduation, you're coming with me! I need my besties at college, and you're one of ‘em, okay, Noel?”

I smile. “I don't know about going to your university, but I can visit?”

“Do I have to fight you for him?” Alex sits up with a grin. “We haven't had a bout in a while. Winner takes Noel for themselves.”

“Bring it on!” Ace yells, smiling big and bright.

“I haven't ever played for something I want before,” Alex replies seductively, his voice silky smooth.

“Guys…” I laugh, shaking my head. “You are not betting on me.”

Ace whispers theatrically, “We’ll play for him later, Alex,” while grinning at me.

“When did you two start liking each other?” Levi asks bluntly, and Ace blinks at him.

I turn to Alex, but he raises a brow at me as if to say, I don't care.

“I've always liked Alex. Since we were kids.”

Levi's eyebrows scrunch. “Kids?”

“Mhm. Alex and I have known each other since we were twelve. Well, closer to thirteen. My birthday is in November, and that's when we had our project. Alex's birthday is in December.”

Grady starts to chuckle deeply, entertained already. “No fucking way. You were both so young. How did you go from hating each other to this?”

I laugh along with him. “It took a lot of fighting and alcohol, but we eventually worked it out.”

Alex smirks. “And a five-star hand job.”

My eyes widen as I burn in embarrassment. “Nice, Alex.”

Ace and Grady laugh at me while Levi stays completely still, staring up at the sky with a look I know all too well.

Ace points a finger up. “Hey! A shooting star! Look!”

“That's an airplane, dumbass.” Levi pinches Ace's arm, and he drops it.

“Was not! Airplanes don't go that fast. Anyway, I wish for all of us to be BFF's forever!”

“Gag.”

“Are you allowed to say your wish out loud? Isn't that against the wish rules?”

“I wish we had a supreme pizza with extra pepperoni.”

“Yeah, I second that.”

“Alex moved in with me.”

There's a momentary silence before Ace gasps. “What the hell?!” He grabs my hand and inspects it before letting out a relieved sigh. “No ring.”

“Why? What's going on?” Grady asks, looking worried, his eyebrows scrunched together.Alex speaks up before I can, and it's a surprise when he answers truthfully. “Sophia is moving, and Noel is forcing me to move in with him so I can finish school here.”

“Man, you could have told us, you're more than welcome to stay with me for the rest of senior year,” Grady says, shocking us all, and Alex visibly freezes.

“Yeah, or my place!” Ace raises his hand. “My mom loves you.”

It's a shock when Levi, the boy who has not hidden his disdain for Alex since I've known him, speaks up last.

“If you really needed a place to live, I'm sure my dad would have been fine with you staying at my place. We all have big enough spaces for an extra person anyway.”

Alex remains silent, hands in his pockets, as he fiddles with an object we can't see.

“All for one and one for all, right team?” I ask with a disbelieving chuckle, and it turns the moment away from Alex's discomfort. They can all feel Alex's surprise. It's a genuine reaction from him, something they aren't used to. Alex has real emotions, and this one is tender. He doesn't know what to do with this revelation—that these people care about him. My heart aches for him.

“That was uncalled for,” Levi grumbles with a roll of his eyes, and Ace laughs.

“We're teammates. I love you guys!”

“Knight blade boys take care of their own.” Grady suppresses his grin, knowing it's a lame cringe-y thing to say, but it helps ease the situation away from Alex, who's still trying to hide his emotions. He pulls out a cigarette and lights it up.

“Okay, I expected that from Ace, but not you, Grady. Now it's weird.” Levi closes his eyes with his hands behind his head, seemingly done with us all.

I watch Alex slowly release a puff of smoke, his eyes on me. His face is less tense than it was before, but I can tell he's still shaken up by the display of love from his teammates. It's unexpected, but also not at the same time. Alex has true friends who would take him in in a heartbeat if my mom couldn't say yes. He'd be okay.

“Let's go home,” I tell him, getting up.

He flicks the cigarette at the ground and stands, taking my hand and squeezing.

“Let's go guys.” Ace jumps on Grady’s back, making him carry him as we walk to the car.

It's like I can hear their inner thoughts.

Alex is embarrassed; how cute!

Aww, they look so sweet together!

We walk side by side in the cold as I rub circles on his hand. “The power of friendship,” I say with a smile, and Alex shoves my shoulder.

“Shut the fuck up.”

And as I stare up at the sky one more time, enjoying the moment, Alex places a hand on my chin, turning my head to face him and kisses me gently.