Sober

He ran away.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen him like that before.

Deja and I plop down on the couch, utterly confused, as we stare at the black TV screen. Guess I know what it feels like to be her, with Kyler leaving her behind and junk. Though, I understood. It was similar to me running off to the bathroom, trying to get a hold of my emotions.

Deja leans on her hand and exhales. Honestly, I’m surprised that neither of them started crying because just from the outside, that seemed heated.

“Um, are you alright?” I reach out to touch her arm, but she glares at my hand, and I recoil.

“I… I don’t know. Thanks for asking, though.”

“O-Oh, sure. No problem.”

She looks at me. “You know what he’s hiding, right?”

I hesitate and then nod. “He…didn’t go out of his way to tell me, though. I just asked…and he answered, only because I think he felt bad for what had happened earlier and didn’t want me to be upset.”

Deja sighs. “I see.”

We sit in silence for a while until I turn on the TV out of discomfort. Though Deja then turns to me again, and I catch where she’s staring.

“So uh, how’d you get those?” She asks and points to my neck. “And…the others,” She mutters under her breath and glances at my torso.

Dear God, I was hoping we were done with this whole mess, or at least until Kyler comes back. I’d rather just sit in silence at this point, but no.

“You get freaky with some girl at the party or something?”

I chuckle, “Um, no.” I glance at the television. “It’s…they’re from Kyler.”

She raises her eyebrows. “But you said he didn’t take advantage—”

“He didn’t! We…” I groan. “We were just, sorta fooling around…this morning.”

I swear I caught her soul leaving her body.

“You were what?! Why?!”

I pull my knees to my chest while also trying to adjust my shirt, just in case too many more of them are visible. I’d yet to look down at myself or walk past a mirror, but I’m sure there were several more—not just because Kyler treated me like his favorite food, but because of how easily I bruised.

Kyler could merely poke me and leave the spot discolored at this point.

“U-Um! I don’t feel comfortable talking about this!” I exclaim, sweating.

“Nick!”

Now I want to run to the bathroom, but I’d feel bad if Kyler and I both abandoned her on the same day.

“Don’t get mad, okay? I was the one who asked for it anyway!” I shout, which only makes things worse.

“Huh? Why?!”

I pull on my hair, my face on my knees as I refuse to look up. 

“Why do you think?! I like him!” I glance over, and Deja looks shocked and confused but is also sort of smiling.

“You have a crush on Kyler?!”

“Yes!” I shout again.

“Then why’d you tell me no at the bar?!”

“Aargh! I don’t know, okay?! I was embarrassed!”

Then Deja stops. Oh no. She’s putting the pieces together—I swear I can see her making all the connections in her head.

“Wait…which way do you swing?”

I look off to the side. “Both ways, I guess,” I mumble. “I prefer girls and don’t usually get that involved with guys…but then I met Kyler. I swear he could make a straight guy gay,” I snicker.

“Holy shit. So, he’s gay.”

I jump. “W-What? No! I didn’t say that!”

Deja ignores me, muttering to herself. “I suppose that makes sense.”

“Wait! But now you don’t have to keep pestering him anymore!”

She stares at the ground. “Yeah, but I wanted him to tell me. For him to trust me enough to say it himself.”

“Deja, please, he doesn’t have the confidence regarding that kind of stuff. I’m the only one who knows!”

She looks up. “What? Really?!”

I shrug. “Um, yeah.”

“Well, I’m gonna act like I don’t know solely because he might throw hands if he finds out you rambled his secret. Though,” She continues. “It’s kinda his fault for leaving a big ass hickey on your neck, along with like, a bunch of tiny ones.”

I hide my smile and blush a little. He seemed to like kissing my neck a ton, though maybe it was my fault for asking for it.

So many things just slipped out earlier, along with sounds and actions, all of which I wanted to take back so bad because I felt like a freak but damn…kissing him once just rewired my brain for the next hour.

It felt so good.

He felt so good.

“I’m…glad you like him, though,” Deja says suddenly, smiling a little.

“Yeah?”

She nods and leans back on the couch. “Kyler never really talked much about relationships and, I don’t know, surely he was keeping secrets, but I never once heard of him having any love interests. I mean,” She sighs. “People liked him all the time, but it was never genuine, I feel. They just fell in love with his image.”

“Oh.”

“Does he like you back? I know he flirts with you nonstop, but that doesn’t always mean something.”

I blush. “U-Um, well…” I don’t feel too comfortable continuing to put all his business out there. Luckily, Deja doesn’t seem to mind.

“I mean, it’s you, so I’m sure he does,” She butts in. “Hell, there’s no way he left all those marks without having a little fun himself.”

I brush my hair out of my eyes. “Uh, yeah. Did you…hear any of that?”

“You two banging?”

I jump. “W-We weren’t banging!”

Deja snorts. “Relax, I’m just teasing! And no, I spent most of my time doing homework while listening to music, which, for once, I think was a good thing.”

I laugh a little. “I suppose. It’s just… so weird. I’ve never liked someone as much as I like him.”

The woman grins. “Aw Nick, that’s so sweet! Crushes really are fun sometimes, huh? Especially since you snagged the perfect contestant.”

I rub my arm and nod. “Y-Yeah.”

“Though, maybe he was the one who snagged you, knowing Kyler and all.” 

I keep nodding. It’s strange to actually be admitting this stuff to someone.

“I swear, just him kissing my cheek or my hand would kill me for a few seconds,” I sigh, grinning. “A-And I’m so afraid to look at him sometimes, but he’s just so pretty, and his eyes are so beautiful and caring that it’s hard not to! He’s such a good person, and I can’t help but like him and look up to him,” I mumble.

“You look up to him?”

I fidget. “I mean, a little. Sure, we have different majors but he’s still my upperclassman, and he’s so organized and mature, and helpful. He’s done so much for me, whether it be helping me study or just… I don’t know, being there for me when no one else was.”

I brush my hair out of my eyes. “If it weren’t for him, I probably would’ve failed my business class already. And after that quiz, everything started getting easier anyway.” I laugh to myself as Deja listens to me ramble, oddly intrigued.

It’s nice to see her cheer up as well. However, while I was having fun with her, I missed Kyler. As the conversation dies down after ten minutes, I pull out my phone. However, just as I go to text him, I hear the jingling of his keys in the door, and he comes back inside. Deja and I look up as he walks in holding some bags from the convenience store around the corner.

“What’d I miss?” He asks, smiling as if he wasn’t borderline crying earlier.

“Uh, nothing really. Are…you okay?” I ask hesitantly.

“Hm? Oh yeah, I’m fine!”

Deja and I glance at each other.

“Can I talk to you? In private?” She asks him.

He sits his bags on the counter. “Mmm. No. Or at least not right now.”

She sits there uncomfortably, and then Kyler looks at me.

“Can I talk to you, though?”

I nod awkwardly and walk over to him, slightly worried. I follow him into his room, and right after he closes the door, he pushes me against it and kisses me, catching me completely off guard.

I slide my hand across his neck, trying to match his rhythm, but I can barely breathe.

Kyler pulls away for a second, his icy blue eyes locked on me as his body stays pressed against mine.

“A-Am I supposed to start getting used to stuff like this?” I huff, and he smirks.

“Eh, it couldn’t hurt,” He says and kisses me again. 

He lifts my leg, running his hand under my thigh as he presses himself into me some more. I moan softly, and he backs up.

“U-Um, do you wanna maybe…go out somewhere and do something?” He stutters.

“Huh? Oh, I mean sure. But are you seriously gonna keep avoiding Deja?”

Kyler puts my leg down and doesn’t respond as I mistakenly, yet successfully ruin the mood. He stares at the floor, and I sigh, playing with his bun.

“Kyler, she knows.”

He perks up. “W-What?!”

“She knows,” I repeat. “She asked about the hickeys, and it’s not like I could say I gave ‘em to myself.”

Kyler chuckles a little. “What did you say, though?”

I blush.

“Y-You didn’t tell her everything, right?”

I shake my head. “N-No! I just… I said we’d been fooling around,” I mumble, and Kyler starts laughing. I sigh, thankful that he’s not mad.

“Ha! I never thought you’d tell anyone that!”

I attempt to push him away, but he just steps closer, and just so I’m not oddly stiff, I place my arms behind his neck.

“I had no choice!”

Kyler leans down and pecks the spot where the culprit bruises are. 

“S-Stop, you’ll make them worse,” I snicker, and he pulls back.

“Eh, you can just wear a collared shirt. Let’s go out and get something to eat.” He steps away from me.

“If you talk to Deja, sure.”

Kyler rolls his eyes and leaves the room faster than I expect him to. While he’s gone, I wash up, only to stand awkwardly in his bedroom in my boxers, searching for something to wear. Though, after digging through all the drawers, I realize Deja had washed my clothes sometime last night, for they were by a stack of Kyler’s things.

So, I throw on the same outfit from last night, putting a band-aid on the giant mark on my neck. After seeing my reflection, I realized that the others weren’t that bad. That is, on my neck. There were bite marks every place else.

Still, I inconspicuously throw on one of Kyler’s dress shirts over top of my t-shirt, one because it looked good, two because it kind of hid my neck a bit, and three because it’s just Kyler’s.

I smile, taking in the scent of his cologne as I lean down and cram my face in the shirt collar. I zone out, tuning out the faint mumbling coming from the other side of the door as I continuously sniff my crush’s shirt like a dork. 

Though, I eventually leave the room and peek my head through the door to see Kyler and Deja talking. They just seem to be having small talk, so hopefully, Kyler’s already finished rambling about the emotional stuff.

He glances over. “Hey cutie, what’s up?”

I roll my eyes, leaning against the wall. “Nothing, really.”

He rests his face on his hand, looking me up and down. “You should consider wearing my shirts more often.”

“Shut up,” I snicker. “Anyway, do you work today?”

He smirks. “Why? You wanna drool at me again?”

I scoff, sitting on the open seat at the counter. “Leave me alone.”

There’s an awkward pause as the three of us struggle to find what to say. Kyler had definitely talked to Deja. Despite the tension, she glances at the two of us and smiles a little.

“So uh, Kyler says you two might be going out? I don’t wanna be a third wheel,” She says and chuckles. “Or if you guys wanna stay in, I can busy myself out of the house too.”

“N-No! You live here—I don’t wanna kick you out!”

She smiles sweetly and leans on her hand. “No, it’s okay. I think you two deserve a break anyway. You can stay the night if you want.”

Kyler glances at me, and I quickly look away, blushing. 

“R-Really?”

She shrugs. “Sure. I’m gonna go out later with my friends from yesterday anyway. I mean, I don’t know what you two have going on, but y’all clearly have giant crushes on one another, and I think you deserve some peace and quiet.”

Kyler snickers. “Thanks, D. Thanks for that.”

Deja stands up and grabs her keys, grinning. “You can’t hide it. You flirt too much.”

I watch as he turns red, and then Deja waves at us before leaving the apartment. I lean on the counter, and Kyler rubs my head.

“Hey, uh, isn’t bartending kind of weird with your dad being an alcoholic and all?”

I watch him shrug. “Nah. He never drank anything other than gas station beer anyway, and I have more fun making stuff and making other people happy. I think it’s a bit of a flex since I took his flaw and made it my talent.”

I snicker. “Yeah, yeah, there you go again with being perfect as hell.”

Kyler takes his hoodie off and walks over to the couch, sitting down as I follow him. I awkwardly sit beside him, unsure if I’m allowed to lay in his lap or lay on his shoulder or even just hug him for a while.

He glances at me in between watching TV and laughs. “What are you doing all the way over there?” He asks, pulling me into his side, which sends a wave of heat through my body.

I smile. “Am I allowed to sit in your lap again?”

Kyler then shuffles a bit, allowing me to do just that.

He snickers. “You don’t have to ask.” He says sweetly and kisses my nose. 

It feels so weird to be this close to him out of my own free will. Not touch starved, not anxious, not drunk. It’s nice, but it’s a little scary. 

“Y’know,” Kyler says suddenly, snapping me back to reality. “I think this is the first time I’ve ever held the whole world in my arms.”

I tense up. “W-What?!”

He then laughs, his hands on my lower back.

“That’s so cheesy!”

Kyler kisses my jaw. “Yeah, and? You knew what you were getting into when you decided to be my boyfriend…right?”

I lean back and look at him, red-faced. Good for him for slipping that in there because I’d be too flustered to bring it up on my own otherwise.

“Right?” He asks again.

I smile. “Y-Yes, shut up.”

“You know you like it,” Kyler teases and pecks my neck some more, causing me to squirm a little.

“Stop, that tickles!” 

“I’m sure you’d go insane if I truly ceased all my flirting.” He continues to go on. “You’d eventually come crying back to me, pleading for me to shower you in compliments.”

I push him away playfully. “I would not!”

Kyler keeps kissing my neck and I laugh. “If you make that spot worse, I’ll kill you!” I feel his eyelashes against my skin, and it gives me a chill.

“It’s not like I’m biting you! I mean, I can if you want…” He whispers against my ear and I shudder.

“You’re obnoxious—shut up!”

“And if I don’t?”

I reach my hands up and take out his hair, causing him to jump.

“H-Hey!” He attempts to grab my arms in hopes of getting his hair tie back, but I shoot it across the room, and it lightly hits the screen door.

“That’s my favorite hair band!” He exclaims, red-faced.

I run my fingers through his hair, mesmerized by the length and texture again. Kyler looks completely flustered, and it’s quite pleasant to see. 

“I like you with your hair down.”

He manages to turn redder and brushes a strand out of his eye, avoiding my gaze.

“Uh, thanks, I guess.”

I tilt my head. “Don’t you?”

Kyler goes to tie it up but then remembers the band’s not on his wrist and puts his arms down.

“It’s fine, I guess. I don’t know, some people thought I looked…fruitier when it was down, especially since it’s long. It also made me look like a douche skater boy or something.”

“What?” I blush a little. “It doesn’t look gay—it looks cool! Not that you can’t be cool and gay. And even if it does look gay, who cares?”

“I do.”

He pauses.

“I’ve stuck to the lie that I’m a lady’s man or a player for so long that my life would actually go to hell if I came out. I use social interaction to keep me going, and I wouldn’t be able to handle losing all my peers.”

I lean back a little as Kyler places his hand on my waist.

“Deja’s at least confident about her sexuality, and she’s had that energy ever since she was young. I can’t just manifest that out of thin air.” He mumbles.

“Don’t compare yourself to her,” I mutter. “A-And, how can you be so sure that people would ditch you after coming out? If they were truly your friends all along, they’d understand.” I sigh. “Isn’t it hard to hold that kind of stuff in for so long?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” Kyler says and chuckles softly.

“Yeah well, you at least have friends you can tell. The most I can do is tell my mom or something, I guess. Like, what about Louis and Nate—you could tell them right?”

“I suppose you’re right.” He laughs again. “But why are you trying to make me come out to people when we’re literally in the same boat.”

I freeze up.

“What? You want me to go around telling people how sweet and delightful and smart my new boyfriend is?” He teases and places his finger under my chin, though I smack it away.

“Shut the hell up. I just don’t want you to…I don’t know—feel alone. You deserve people who support you and stuff.”

He smiles and kisses me. “So do you, Nikki.”

I blush, and he snickers.

“But we don’t have to worry about that right now, right? There’s no rule saying that as soon as you’re dating someone you have to spill it to all of your friends, yeah?” Kyler kisses me some more and I chuckle.

“It’s fun to keep secrets sometimes,” He says, smirking.

I cringe. “I…I guess, I don’t know.”

The guilt about keeping my mouth shut for so long began to resurface, especially after witnessing his predicament with Deja. Kyler should’ve been the first to know…or maybe I should’ve just been the first to accept it. Then maybe it would’ve been easier at the start to accept all of his flirts and hugs and whatnot.

“You okay?”

I play with his earrings, dying for a way to busy my hands. “I…yeah. Um, I’m just sorry for keeping you in the dark for so long…about a lot of stuff.”

“Oh?”

I chuckle. “Y’know. Like, more information about my home life, past relationships, all the things I’m scared of or at least not accustomed to, the fact that I do sort of have a drinking problem,” I mutter under my breath. “And…the fact that I’m bisexual but I’m so in denial about it that I’d get sick to my stomach whenever I thought about telling anyone…like you.”

I stare at my lap, but I can feel Kyler’s eyes on me. The silence was deafening to me. I’m sure he’s merely processing all the random information I had just dumped on him, but I pray he doesn’t notice my hands trembling on his shoulders. He cups the side of my face and I finally look up to be met with a smile.

“That’s okay. You don’t have to apologize,” He says softly. “You like to keep to yourself and that’s perfectly okay. And you’ve gotten backlash in the past when you tried to show your true colors, so it’s okay to be scared too.”

I bit my tongue, bunching up the fabric of his shirt as my anxiety worsened, despite his words.

“But thank you for telling me. Just know, you can talk to me whenever about anything, okay? I like learning about people I like whether that be friends or more than friends, and if I can, I’d like to help.”

I nod and lean on his shoulder.

“You alright?”

I nod again. “Y-Yeah. Thank you.” I chuckle. “Sometimes I forget that you’re like, a normal, nice person.”

Kyler snickers, running his fingers through my hair. “I can tell. And that’s okay, too.”

He slips his hand under my shirt and slides his hand across my back, making me exhale and finally loosen up.

“Hey, actually, can I ask you something?”

“S-Sure,” I stammer as he feels me up.

He stays quiet for a bit which weirds me out, and then he takes a deep breath.

“Last night, a ton of shit went down, yeah?”

“Uh, yeah, what about it?”

He looks off to the side. “I don’t wanna be making assumptions or anything, and it’s your business, but after…beating the shit out of Zeke, some of the stuff he said confused me. That…and what you were yelling at me about.”

I gulp. Last night was a fucking mess.

I don’t know what got into me.

I didn’t mean to ramble so much of that stuff to him or for so long. Especially since all he was trying to do was help.

“What happened between you and him?”

My stomach turns.

“It really wasn’t much,” I mumble. “We were just friends. And then we grew apart.”

Kyler looks at me, and I can tell he wants more details. 

“But last night, you were talking about him, right? When you mentioned people using you, you meant him right? And earlier today, when you were talking about a lack of intimacy in past relationships…was that referencing him too?”

I turn red. “C-C’mon, why do we need to talk about my exes, er—ex-friends when I have you now! Shouldn’t we just focus on the present?” I ask awkwardly, fidgeting with my shirt.

Kyler places his hands over mine, flustered as well. “I mean, even if it’s not him, it’s important to know what went wrong and what went right for future relationships, right?”

I lean away from him a bit. I feel like I’m gonna be sick, but I’m sure if I ran off, Kyler would just follow me. It’s his apartment, after all.

“Still, even if you two weren’t a thing, the shit he said…” The taller guy mumbles. “He referred to you as if you were an object, and that didn’t sit right with me.” He chuckles. “I mean, then I broke a bottle over his head but anyway…”

I try and wipe my palms on my jeans. “I don’t ever…really know if we were in a relationship or not,” I begin with a whisper. “But I liked him. And for a while, I thought he liked me too.”

“What?!”

“He used to be normal!” I blurt while smiling awkwardly. “He used to be like me! He was quiet and civilized and kept to himself, and that kind of brought us together. We didn’t have many friends but eventually became content with just hiding in our dorm, studying, and whatever else.”

“And then…?” 

“Well and then, me being the dumbass I am, I fell in love with him. I never planned to tell him because he was straight, but then I kissed him when I was drunk… Yet, he went along with it.”

Kyler looks completely lost, and it’s a bit funny.

“Eventually, he claimed he liked me too, but we were only ever intimate when we were alone, and all I ever remember is us kissing.” I sigh.

“Just kissing?”

“Yes! Like we were some fuckin’ old married couple! It’s not like I didn’t like it but…it just got boring. Like if he liked me, why didn’t he do anything greater?” I grab my head. “It all makes no sense, but like, he was always able to get his hands on booze, and I guess since he saw what happened the first time I was drunk around him, he kept giving it to me.”

I stare at the floor. “I mean, it was fun having someone to drink with! But knowing me, the next morning I wouldn’t remember a damn thing. I felt like as our relationship went on, I never really knew what was going on.”

“So, it was him who got you hooked on booze.” Kyler mumbles.

“Yeah. The booze then got me going to parties and making a fool out of myself, and by using me as the butt of his jokes, Zeke got a following. And as his following grew, he’d leave me behind. He’d claim he still liked me but would pretty much lie and intoxicate me to keep me around.”

I massage my head. “It’s all so damn fuzzy,” I hiss. “He was kinda…abusive, I guess. And it got worse when I tried to break up with him. He acted like he was okay, but eventually, I could tell he wasn’t. I was tired of him keeping our practically non-existent relationship a secret when he didn’t even do anything romantic!”

“And,” I sigh. “That’s when the bribing started and when more alcohol came into play. I was so stressed, and I couldn’t handle my classes—I was missing sleep, missing meals. I got anxious just sleeping across the room from him. I felt like I was suffocating. I couldn’t take it anymore and I didn’t know what to do. But then I met you.”

“And now here we are.” Kyler finishes for me.

I nod slowly. 

“Nick, I’m so sorry that happened to you. I never would’ve guessed.”

I shrug. “Eh, it’s cool. We’ve all got our crazy exes, right?”

Kyler doesn’t laugh. He looks at the floor, trying to form sentences, and he looks both pissed and on the verge of tears.

He grabs my hand. “Are you okay?”

I flinch. “I, uh. Well, I wasn’t okay then.” I chuckle. “But I think I’m good now. I’ve…got you. And you seem like a good person so far.”

He laughs.

“And it’s not like I have to share a dorm with him either.”

Kyler kisses my hand. “Alright. Well, if anything else happens with him—if he tries anything or tries to pick a fight, or even if his friends do—please tell me! Promise you’ll tell me!”

“O-Okay!” I blurt awkwardly.

“I’m sure shit about that fight is gonna get passed around and I need to know that you’re okay, okay?”

“Okay,” I say softly as a lump starts forming in my throat. He’s so worried, and it’s a bit comforting. 

“Fuck,” He mumbles. “All of this just makes me hate him even more! I knew something was off from the moment I met you!” He combs his fingers through his hair. “From the way you acted around him to the way he looked at you, to the way he smirked when he saw you passed out on me at our first party together…”

“What a fuckin’ creep,” He mutters under his breath, and I chuckle. “This just makes me feel worse for leaving you alone with him!”

I roll my eyes. “Kyler, it’s fine! If it weren’t for you pissing me off, I wouldn’t have shown up at Louis’ party and been able to talk to you again.”

He laughs. “And dance with me.”

I swat at him. “Yeah, yeah, shut up.”

“Oh! And I guess you wouldn’t have gotten my number either if it weren’t for that day!”

I turn red. “Okay, okay, we get it!”

He smiles. “Am I allowed to tell Deja about this?”

“Sure, I guess,” I say and shrug. “She’s cool. And from what I can tell, she doesn’t seem like the gossiping type. Just…leave out all the angsty details.”

“Can do!” Kyler beams and kisses me for a second.

I can’t help but grin in response. It feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders, especially since I told him of all people. He’s the one person I feared judging me or brushing me off, but he understood.

“Thank you,” I say softly.

“Huh? For what, kissing you?”

I chuckle. “No, stupid. For…listening to me.”

He smiles. “Of course, Nikki. I’m glad to finally have all the pieces, and I can’t imagine what it’s been like hiding that from everyone.”

I shrug.

“Did you ever tell your parents?”

“F-Fuck no. I didn’t think it concerned them. I’d just get over it eventually, right?”

Kyler sighs and pecks my forehead. “You need to learn how to handle your problems better.”

I chuckle. “Whatever, dude. It’s fine for now. At least I told someone.”

“Fine, I guess so,” He says with a smirk as he leans in and kisses me slowly. He rubs his hands across my thighs, but then he pulls away. “Wait! Do you even want me to kiss you?”

“Huh?!”

His face turns red. “Cuz you said earlier how that’s all Zeke did and that it was boring! I don’t wanna be all stale!”

I snort, and Kyler smiles at the sound.

“Yeah, but that was Zeke! I, uh. I like when you kiss me,” I mumble and turn my head away from him.

His blush spreads to his ears, and it’s adorable.

“You’re way better at it than he was, no doubt. And c’mon, if I didn’t like you kissing me, why would I fucking beg for it?!”

Kyler laughs, and I raise my hand, combing my fingers through his hair. 

“And I don’t know—your lips are just really soft, and I like the way your tongue feels against mine, and you’re just really gentle! Like even when you’re not being gentle, it’s still really soothing somehow. A-And your hands always wander, and though it’s kinda overwhelming, it feels so damn good…” I trail off.

My boyfriend looks at me, completely dumbfounded, and I start overheating.

“Wow.”

“I didn’t mean to say that much! Shut up! Stop judging me!” I squeal, and then he smirks, leaning back down over me.

“W-What are you doing?” I stammer, grinning.

“What the fuck do you think I’m doing?” Kyler sneers before slamming his mouth onto mine, catching me off guard. 

“You seriously don’t understand how hot you can be sometimes,” He mutters against my lips before continuing to kiss me, wrapping his arm around my back and pulling me further into him.

I groan a little, tangling my fingers in his hair as my body tingles. As I push him off to catch my breath, he lightly kisses my neck, and I laugh a little each time his lips brush against my skin.

“Maybe saying all that was a bad idea,” I pant as he drags his tongue across my soft spot, and I shudder.

“Nah, now I just know exactly what to do to make you happy.”

I snicker. “You don’t have to kiss me to make me happy.”

His teeth scrape against my ear, and I yelp.

“But it does help, yes?”

A moan slips out as he violates my neck, and I wrap one of my legs around him.

“I’m gonna take that as a yes,” Kyler whispers, and I grin.

“C-C’mon, shouldn’t we wait until later to do this?”

He snorts and leans back. “Well, I don’t know! What the hell do you have planned for tonight, huh?”

I turn red. “Shut up! That’s not what I mean!”

“Man Nikki, you’re so shameless!”

I push him off me, laughing. “I’m shameless?! You’re shameless! You literally just started kissing me out of nowhere!”

Kyler pulls me up and back into his lap. “Oh, be quiet, you were practically asking for it with that wordplay of yours.”

“What wordplay? I was speaking normally!”

He smirks. “Exactly. And come on,” He continues. “I can’t really be that bad. It’s not like I grinded on you for ten minutes.”

I shove him, but he keeps his arms around my waist. “Shut up! We don’t talk about that! I don’t know what came over me.”

He presses his nose against mine, gazing at me with the most seductive look I’ve ever seen his face display. 

“I know who would’ve came all over you if you had kept going, though.”

My jaw drops, and he leans back, breaking into laughter.

“Kyler Wells! Oh, my fucking god—you’re such a pervert!” I screech, and he keeps laughing as I try to escape his lap, though he keeps me in his grasp.

“Eh, I’ve been called worse!”

“That’s not good! W-What is your problem?!” I trip over my words, attempting to find a comeback or other insult, but hell, it’s Kyler. I should be used to this by now.

He leans back in and licks my lip, smirking, and I flinch. I cover his mouth.

“No! Bad!”

He licks my hand, and I jump, now frantically wiping his spit on my jeans. As I’m distracted, he quickly kisses me of course, and I click my tongue in annoyance, though I can’t help but keep smiling.

“Oh, come on now. Don’t act like you don’t like it,” He teases and then glances at my erection which just keeps getting worse the more he touches me.

“Shut up Kyler!”

“Y’know,” He begins again. “You should come up with a nickname for me.” He leans back.

“Nickname?”

“Yeah! Like how I call you Nikki!” He beams.

I roll my eyes. “N-No one else calls me that, it’s so annoying.”

Kyler, completely unfazed, kisses me again. “That’s the point. You know you like it.” He slides his hand down my back, and I moan slightly as his tongue brushes against mine.

I massage his ear with my fingers, occasionally fiddling with his hoop earrings, and he smiles.

“F-Fuck off,” I mutter against his lips before he immediately pulls me back in. 

We stay like that for a while until I realize that if I keep melting into his body like this, we’ll probably end up back in another circumstance like this morning. 

Not to mention my erection keeps growing, and not only is it greatly uncomfortable in these jeans, but it’s still embarrassing, even though Kyler already noticed. I shuffle away from him, awkwardly leaning on my elbows, yet all he does is chuckle.

“You’re cute.”

“You’re obnoxious.” 

I avoid his gaze as I lick my lips a little.

“Is that gonna be your pet name for me?” He snickers.

“What? N-No!” I sit back up, attempting to cover my groin with my shirt. “If anything, I’ll probably just keep calling you a perv!”

“Hey, that’s better than nothing!” Kyler says.

I roll my eyes. “Well, people already call you Ky, and your name’s too short to make good nicknames out of.”

He laughs. “Dude, Nick is literally already a nickname for Nicholas, except for you, it’s just the base. It doesn’t even have to relate to my name.”

I scrunch up my nose. “N-Nene cariño,” I mumble. “Or just…Nene, I don’t know.”

“Nene carino?”

I laugh. “N-No, cariño. It’s like…baby or darling, or something—I don’t know.”

Kyler’s face lights up. “That’s so cute!” He beams.

“They both kind of mean the same thing, but you can use ‘em interchangeably I guess.”

Kyler smirks. “I didn’t think I’d get so lucky that you’d call me something in Spanish!”

I flick his forehead and he snickers. “Shut up.”

“Don’t you mean ‘shut up, nene?’” 

“Be quiet!”

Kyler grins and then pulls me into a tight hug.

“W-What are you doing?!” I struggle to get out of his grasp, but he continues to hold me.

“I love you so much.” He whispers, and I start overheating.

He smells so good, and despite how much I wanted to act like I didn’t like it, nothing feels better than when he holds me. I never want him to let go.

He combs his fingers through my hair, and I smile, finally hugging him back.

“I love you more.”