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“We gotta lock them in a closet.”
“We are not locking them in a closet.”
“It’s a classic,” Noah argues. “The sexual tension—”
“Won’t have a chance to build because Courtney can easily break down the door,” Alejandro replies.
Noah frowns. “Yeah… but she might not choose to. I mean, if she’s stuck in a small space with Gwen, who she likes—”
“That would be fair if it were someone more emotionally intelligent than Courtney.”
“Ugh, why do you have to be right?”
“I always am.”
Noah rolls his eyes. “Says the guy who tried flirting with Heather after—”
“I didn’t know she was a lesbian!” Alejandro protests. Several people spread across the school library glance in his direction. He lowers his voice. “What if I go to the pier to hang out with Courtney, you go to hang out with Gwen, and we just so happen to run into each other? Then once the girls are talking, we can slip out of sight. Let them hang out together. Courtney will totally try and win Gwen a prize if I put the idea in her head beforehand.”
“I mean, it’s not as romantic, but I guess it could work,” Noah says, pulling out his phone. “Can you do this Saturday? Gwen and I were gonna check out this coffee shop, but we can head there after…”
“Saturday should work. I’ll text Courtney… This is gonna be fun!”
“Ditching a pier?”
“We don’t have to leave it,” Alejandro says. “We can still have fun together, just away from them. Say we got distracted or something.”
Noah shrugs. “Yeah, I wouldn’t mind making a day of it.”
“Perfect!” Alejandro smiles, making Noah’s heart flop in his chest. “It’s a date.”
“For Courtney and Gwen.”
“For Courtney and Gwen.”
***
“It’s too easy,” Noah crows, watching as Courtney tugs at Gwen’s wrist, drawing her attention to the next booth. “They’re practically holding hands.”
Alejandro mutters something in Spanish, before quickly yanking Noah toward him. “Hide!”
“What is it?”
“I thought they looked this way,” Alejandro murmurs, his face inches from Noah’s. He hadn’t intended to pull his friend quite that close. “I wouldn’t want to be caught spying.”
“No,” Noah agrees, letting Alejandro’s hand rest on his arm.
After another moment of silent standing, Alejandro steps back, looking away. “Okay, they’ve moved on. We should put some distance between ourselves and them.”
“Good idea.”
Noah lets Alejandro lead the way. It might just be the heat from the sun, but it almost looks like he’s… blushing?
***
“There you guys are!” Courtney chirps, jogging toward the boys. “We lost you for a bit.”
Behind her, Gwen totes a small stuffed crocodile.
“Nice gator,” Noah says, nodding his head toward it.
“Thanks,” Gwen says. “Courtney won it for me.”
“It was the closest thing they had to a lizard,” Courtney explains.
“I’m gonna call it Ripper. After Jack the Ripper.”
“That’s very… creative,” Alejandro says, looking mildly disturbed.
Noah just smirks. With how much time he and Alejandro have spent on Operation: Gwourtney, the boy should know by now that Gwen is one of his least disturbing friends.
Courtney nudges Alejandro. “You win any prizes?”
“No, but Noah dragged me onto the Ferris wheel twice.”
“Nice,” Gwen says. “I’m a big fan of the Ferris wheel.”
Noah snorts. “Yeah, you wouldn’t shut up about it at the cafe. Have you actually gone on it yet?”
“No,” Gwen admits.
Miracle of miracles, Courtney grabs her wrist again. “Then come on, let’s do it.”
“You two have fun!” Alejandro says. “I think we’re gonna grab some food.”
“Try the milkshakes, they’re great!” Courtney calls over her shoulder, and then the girls are gone.
Alejandro turns to Noah, grinning. “Ferris wheel. Good thinking. Very romantic.”
“Eh, Gwen practically handed it to me on a silver platter.”
“Is that why you insisted we go on it?”
“I just wanted to see what all the fuss was about.”
“Fair enough,” Alejandro says, leading him toward a food truck. “You in the mood for something? I know I wouldn’t say no to a burger… or a milkshake.”
“That does sound good, I’m boiling.”
“Take off your sweater, then.”
“You wish,” Noah snarks, trying to wink. He blinks both eyes instead.
Alejandro laughs as they step into line. “Two milkshakes it is, then.”
Watching as a customer carries a cup bigger than his own head, Noah turns to Alejandro.
“We might want to make that one,” he says, jabbing a finger at the massive milkshake. “Because I definitely can’t drink more than half of that, and I’m not seeing any size options.”
“Good thinking. One milkshake, two straws.”
“What is this, a bad romcom?”
Alejandro chuckles at that. “You really should take off your sweater, though. I know you get tired in the heat.”
“I fell asleep on you one time,” Noah retorts.
“Hey, you didn’t hear me complaining about it.”
Sighing good-naturedly, Noah tugs his sweater off.
***
“Did you have a good time with Gwen?” Alejandro asks, sliding into the passenger seat. “I’m sorry we didn’t get to spend more time together, I had no idea we were gonna run into her and Noah.”
Courtney pulls out of the parking lot. “Oh, it’s fine, it was really fun. She even won me this!”
Alejandro laughs as Courtney produces a sparkly purple tiara. “Very fitting.”
“I know, right?” Courtney grins. “Hey, are you free tonight too? Because Geoff’s having a party, and I thought since we didn’t get to hang out as much as we wanted, we could do that there.”
“Sounds good,” Alejandro says. “I love making fun of drunk people with you.”
“I’m gonna see if I can get Duncan to jump in the pool. Fully clothed.”
“If he does, get it on video.”
“Oh, definitely.”
***
“This is the most social I’ve seen you in months,” Noah remarks, watching as Gwen downs the last of her beer.
“Whatever,” she says defensively. “I have better people to hang out with now, that's all.”
“Jeez, I was just making an observation. You think I’m gonna get on your back about being an introvert?”
“A loner, you mean?” Gwen asks, but her voice has lost its bite. “Whatever. Time passes, people change. I enjoy parties now. Which is something I never thought I’d say, but Geoff—”
“—is Geoff,” Noah finishes. “Speaking of which, I think he’s trying to get some people together for beer pong, if you want to—”
“Oh, fuck yes,” Gwen says, making a beeline for the dining room.
Noah grins. He knows Gwen and Geoff are an unstoppable beer pong duo.
He also knows that Duncan and Courtney are too competitive to turn down a challenge.
And there’s nothing like a healthy rivalry to ramp up the tension. He should know that, from debate team with Alejandro—
Shut up, Noah. We’re just friends.
***
“Can you do me a favor?”
Alejandro turns to see Courtney gesturing him into the kitchen. Muttering something to Heather, he stands up and follows her to the pantry door.
“Sorry, this is kind of weird,” Courtney says, eyes trained on the floor, “but Geoff asked me to grab some more cups for beer pong, and they’re in the pantry, and normally I wouldn’t be asking you to go in because it’s stupid, but I know his brothers eat a lot of jello so they have some in there and if there’s any green jello—”
“I’ll get the cups,” Alejandro promises, because Courtney already looks like she’s ramping up for the panic attack she would usually have upon actually encountering green jelly. “Just breathe, okay? You’re fine. You don’t have to go in.”
Courtney nods. “Thanks. I… thanks.”
Giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze, Alejandro opens the door, stepping inside. He barely has time to register the cramped space—forget pantry, this is more like a closet—or the dim light, or the other person inside, when the door slams shut.
“Courtney?” Alejandro calls, but there’s no response. He tugs at the door knob. It doesn’t budge.
“I think this is their revenge,” the other person says, and Alejandro turns around to realize it’s Noah.
“Revenge?”
“I’m guessing we were a bit more conspicuous than we thought we were at the fair,” he explains. “Courtney and Gwen probably want to spend the night without us trying to set them up.”
Alejandro sighs, running his hand through his hair. “Damn it, we seemed subtle enough.”
“Eh, we probably deserve it. I mean, I’m certain they like each other, but on the off chance they don’t…”
“Then we’re probably being really annoying.”
“The worst,” Noah agrees. “Reminds me of sophomore year.”
“When Owen and Trent tried to get you and Cody together?”
“God, I hated that. I kept telling them, he’s not my type.”
“What is your type?”
Noah shrugs. “Confident. Smart. Big and strong enough to carry me around.”
“Oh?” For the second time that day, Alejandro is suddenly aware of just how close they’re standing. And how much he fits into Noah’s type. “Anything else?”
“I like guys I can annoy when I tease, but that don’t actually get upset. Guys that care about their friends.”
Did he hear my conversation with Courtney, about the jello?
“I like guys who don’t mind if I randomly fall asleep on them, because let’s be real, that happens at lot.”
“It’s cute,” Alejandro says, before realizing exactly what he’s said. He swallows. “Uh, anything else?”
Noah looks up at him, nose inches away from his own.
“I’ve always liked green eyes.”
Breath hitching, Alejandro leans into his sudden spike of courage, and tilts his head down.
He kisses Noah.
Noah kisses him.
The cups, the closet, Courtney and Gwen’s revenge is forgotten as Noah presses against Alejandro. Alejandro settles his hands on Noah’s waist, and Noah runs his hands through Alejandro’s hair, tugging experimentally. Alejandro kisses him harder.
***
After a riveting game of beer pong, in which a table was almost broken, Courtney and Gwen curl up on the patio swing.
“I told you, there’s no winning against me and Geoff,” Gwen smirks, rocking the bench gently.
Courtney huffs, twisting toward the other girl. “I will beat you. Someday.”
Chuckling, Gwen leans forward and lightly kisses her nose. Courtney squawks at that, and Gwen laughs harder.
“How do you think things are going in the pantry?” she finally asks with a smirk.
“They better be going well, with all the effort we put in at the fair. The Ferris wheel was a nice touch, by the way.”
“So were the milkshakes.”
“Thanks,” Courtney says, leaning forward to kiss Gwen. They stay entwined on the seat, making out, until Courtney rests her head against Gwen’s shoulder with a sigh.
“When should we actually tell them we’re dating? If the pantry thing finally gets those two together?”
“Maybe,” Gwen says, stroking her curls, “but I kinda think it’s funny seeing how long we can drag it out. We’re almost at a month, if we can make it that long without them finding out, then the looks on their faces when we finally tell them—”
“Priceless,” Courtney agrees. “I’m okay with keeping my mouth shut if you are. Bridgette thinks we’re being mean, not telling them, but—”
“—all is fair in love and war.”