18. new

EIGHTEEN

new

Saturday, March 29th

If Isaiah still had queries about whether or not August knew about his crush, he definitely didn't anymore. Not after that. He'd made it so obvious how badly he wanted to kiss him. Oh God.

Isaiah heard August's frustrated sigh, a little further away than he was before. "Sorry," the blond muttered, then there was shifting, and he was behind Isaiah once again. The speed at which his heart was pounding couldn't be healthy. He absently placed his hand over it; he could feel it thrumming against his palm. Or perhaps it was just his imagination.

"You okay?" August asked, reaching a hand out to touch Isaiah's shoulder. His heart jumped. "Isaiah? I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortabe. Really. If you want, we can forget about it."

Do you want to forget about it? I don't. But if you do... "It's fine," Isaiah whispered, his voice wobbling with anxiety. The good kind of anxiety. "I'm not, um, uncomfortable. I just—" He blew out a rush of air, too embarrassed to even meet August's gaze. He was a nervous wreck.

August was quiet for a few seconds before he finally said: "Let's just forget about it, yeah?"

"No." Isaiah covered his hand with his mouth as soon as he said it, squeezing his eyes shut. Stop talking, stupid. "I'm sorry. I—I don't want to forget about it. God, I can't think. I'm sorry, shit."

"Hey," August murmured, and then his hand was pressing against Isaiah's cheek, turning his head to face him. His thumb brushed against his cheekbone, gently, and Isaiah was sure he looked like a total fucking idiot. "Don't worry about it. Go at your own pace."

Isaiah didn't want to go at his own pace. He wanted to answer the endless questions that kept running around in his head, like what would it be like to kiss him? Does he feel the same? Would things go to shit if I admitted my feelings? He wanted to kiss him like his heart was begging him to. He wanted to hold his hand, go on dates, tell him how amazing he was. He wanted to do all that couple-y shit right then and there, so badly. But his limbs were frozen in place.

If Cody hadn't barged in, would we have kissed? Or would I have chickened out?

Isaiah found himself leaning into August's touch. If August found it weird, he'd blame it on sleep deprivation. But if he didn't, well, what then?

August let out a quiet laugh, snapping Isaiah out of his thoughts. He blinked up at the blond, confused as to why he was laughing. Did Isaiah look as stupid as he thought he did?

"What?"

August grinned. "Your cheeks are so warm," he teased, cradling Isaiah's face in both hands. His thumbs swiped underneath his eyes and across his cheekbones. Isaiah was melting in his palms, and it was so fucking embarrassing, but in that moment he didn't care. He just wanted August to hold him like that forever.

There was silence between them, a comfortable one, yet it was filled with a tension that made the hairs on his arms stand up, a pleasant shiver running down his spine. August slid one hand down to the area between his jaw and neck, his other one pulling away to settle underneath his own chin. His finger pressed against Isaiah's bottom lip, and his bright eyes shifted from his lips to his gaze, soft, yet piercing. Isaiah felt like he was running out of breath, and he never thought it'd feel so good.

A smug smirk pulled at the corner of August's lips. "So you do want to kiss me," he stated. "You weren't just sitting there, confused."

Isaiah averted his eyes. "Don't just say something like that." His whole body was on fire. "Makes me sound like some creep."

"Well, shit," August mused. "Guess that means I'm one, too."

Isaiah frowned. "Why is it that you can say the weirdest shit, but make it sound like it's not?" he grumbled, and August laughed, leaning in close, foreheads gently bumping. Isaiah's breath hitched in his throat. He was so close.

"It's probably just like that to you," he said, teasing. "After all, you like me."

"Shut up."

"Make me," August whispered, a gleam of a challenge sparking in his eyes. Isaiah licked his lips, and August followed the movement with his eyes, lips parting absently in response. His eyes traveled, dangerously slow, back up to Isaiah's. He was going to explode, seriously. Cause of death: August Knight.

The blond rolled his eyes, fingers gripping the back of his neck. "You gonna make me shut up or not?"

"I—"

"Pussy," he said, and Isaiah was reminded of the movie night again. He pouted at the word, and August chuckled at the look on his face.

"You do it," Isaiah mumbled. "I'm bad at—"

"Making decisions, yeah, I know."

August pulled Isaiah close, lips ghosting over his, nudging his nose against Isaiah's lightly. Isaiah reached up, curling his fist into the fabric of August's shirt, holding onto it almost desperately. Just do it already, asshole.

Isaiah gently shoved at August's chest. "Stop it," he whispered.

"Stop what? What am I doing?"

He scowled. "You're teasing me."

"Am I? Sorry," he drawled, but he didn't sound sorry at all. "Come here."

Isaiah watched with wide eyes as August scooted back, hand patting the mattress twice. Isaiah swallowed, hesitantly pushing his laptop onto the carpet, hand clutching at the sheets. August sat back against the wall, good leg bent and the other laid straight out in front of him. His arm rested on his knee, fingers dangling and tracing circles into his leg as he waited, patiently, but also looking like he'd go down there himself if Isaiah didn't hurry up.

August tilted his head slightly. "Come," he repeated, then added, "or should I come down there?"

Isaiah frowned. "I don't want you to hurt your leg."

August facepalmed. "Then come here," he demanded, but he had a pout on his lips. "I want to kiss you."

"But the door—"

Almost as if on cue, the door was pushed open again by none other than Cody, who was frowning. "Auntie said keep the door open," he said. August scowled and slid off his bed, limping over to his little cousin and bending over slightly to reach his level as best as he could.

"Let's make a deal," he quietly offered, and Isaiah rolled his eyes. "Leave us alone for the rest of the day, and I'll let you borrow my PlayStation so you can play your games. And I'll even get you ice cream."

Cody bounced happily. "Really?"

"Really."

"Pinky promise?"

"Pinky promise."

They locked their fingers before Cody ran off. August shut the door, turning the lock with a quiet click. Isaiah stood at the end of his bed, fingers ghosting over the sheets absently. August pushed himself off the door and made his way over, looking just about done with all the interruptions.

"Third time's the charm, right?" he asked, then backed Isaiah up against the wall with a smile, hands finding purchase on his hips. Isaiah went to say something, but August's lips were over his before he could utter a single sound.

August kissed differently than Isaiah expected. He imagined him to be rough, but he was the exact opposite. He held Isaiah like he was something to be treasured, and he kissed him slowly and gently, his lips moving languidly, leaving Isaiah a puddle of mush in his hands. His fingers slipped from his hips to his navel, sliding up and under his shirt, his touch cool against Isaiah's warm skin. He traced the outline of his abdomen with the pads of his fingers, a touch so gentle that it sent a cascade of shivers through Isaiah's body.

August knew exactly what he was doing, resulting in Isaiah's hesitant movements. The blond noticed and pulled away just a bit, tip of his nose nudging against Isaiah's. "You alright?"

He flushed. "I don't know what I'm doing."

August chuckled breathlessly and closed his eyes, kissing his cheek softly. "That's okay," he whispered. "You're okay. Do you want to stop?"

Isaiah shook his head, leaning forward to press his forehead against his shoulder. August laughed quietly and slid his hand to his back, rubbing up and down slowly. "I need words."

"No," he murmured. "No, I don't... want to stop yet." He couldn't believe this was happening, and he wasn't freaking the fuck out like he expected himself to do. August was gentle and considerate, obviously aware of Isaiah's lack of experience in anything remotely romantic.

August smiled, guiding Isaiah lips back to his. He kissed him again and again. A multitude of pecks being peppered onto his lips, leaving Isaiah with a beaming grin. August took him by the waist and fell backwards onto his bed, pulling Isaiah along with him, chuckling at the wide-eyed look on the other boy's face.

August's hands slid to the backs of his thighs, and he pulled him onto his lap so that he was straddling his hips. Isaiah looked unbelievably embarrassed at the position, so August sat up and took his face in his hands, kissing him hard on the mouth. He instantly relaxed, leaning down so August didn't strain his neck.

They didn't work on the project much after that.

___

Monday, March 31st

Isaiah texted August all weekend long. He was confident over text, but once he spotted him in school, shyness came over him in waves. Much worse than before.

He saw him for the first time since Saturday at lunch, and he was sitting right across from him, hand tucked under his chin. He was watching Isaiah shamelessly, and the latter was struggling to maintain his composure. Stop staring, it isn't good for my heart.

Isaiah looked away and focused on Steve and Ashton's conversation. He could feel August's eyes on him, and it sent his mind back to the events of Saturday. He lifted his hand and absently ghosted his fingers over his lips, almost able to recall the feeling of August's thumb padding at his bottom lip.

"Hey," Steve said suddenly, snapping Isaiah out of his thoughts. "You good? You look out of it."

Oh, I am. Isaiah cleared his throat and straightened up. "I'm good," he told him honestly. "Just kinda tired."

Steve frowned. "What did you even do this weekend? You didn't text me once."

He shrugged, having to refrain from sparing a glance at August. "Nothing," he lied. "I was working on my project the whole time, so."

"Oh. You finish it?"

Not even close. "Almost done."

Steve narrowed his eyes. "You sure you're okay?" he pushed. "You're acting weird."

Isaiah scowled. "How am I acting weird?"

"I don't know, you just are," he grumbled. "Tell me what's up."

"Nothing," Isaiah complained. "I'm fine. Seriously." Better than fine, really.

Steve huffed. "Anyway, we have a game on Wednesday, right?" he asked, brows furrowed. "I forgot. And if so, can you drive me?"

"Yeah, yeah. Sure thing."

"Oh, me too!" Ashton exclaimed, leaning forward so he could see Isaiah. "I need a ride."

Isaiah frowned. "You guys need to get your licenses already."

"Fuck off. This is a judgment free zone."

"That's a lie," Isaiah retorted.

Steve huffed and went back to his phone, and Ashton continued to bother him. Isaiah glanced over at August, only to deflate when he saw he wasn't there. He bit his lip, pulling out his phone.

Isaiah: where'd you go?

August: my leg started hurting again. sorry.

Isaiah: why didn't you say anything?

August: you were talking to steve i didn't want to interrupt. dw about it lol. it does this when the weather gets bad, mostly rain and stuff.

Isaiah: so it was hurting all last week? August, you should've said something

August: hush i'm fine. i'll see you later okay i promise everything is chill

Isaiah sighed, rubbing at his forehead. He sounded like a clingy partner, and he hated it. They'd kissed once and now Isaiah was being all weird? With my luck, it probably meant nothing.

He cringed at his own thoughts. Overthinking was a curse.

Isaiah: promise?

August: promise x