Wishmuch - 2. Flesh and Bone

Kris stood at the corner of the subway station. He'd dressed to impress with a midnight blue button down shirt, black washed jeans and a pair of Aldo sneakers. His nerves were fried as he waited for Mike to arrive. The past few weeks had been great. He'd gotten to know Mike on a more personal level, their relationship was improving steadily, and the attractions were escalating quickly. The anxiety was causing him to have sweaty palms, a sign which had not happened to him in a long time. Why is this any different... The last time he'd felt this way was when he was about to lose his precious virginity. His brows furrowed in concentration as a man with black hair and bright hazel eyes approached him with a knowing smile.

***

As I walked towards the designated meetup point, I managed to identify the handsome brunette from a distance, standing idly while gazing into the sea of human traffic trying to spot me. Taking a deep breath to calm down my damn nerves, I headed in his direction.

"Kris?" I clarified. I stood there unsure of what to do and decided to go along with a firm handshake instead of a hug.

"Yes. Hi Mike, it's good to finally meet you," Kris said, his green eyes twinkling with mirth.

After the polite pleasantries were exchanged, a sudden blanket of awkwardness fell on us. This was weird because we were hitting off great. We were like best friends online. Now, it seemed strained somehow, it felt like we were both strangers. I wasn't even sure on what was the expected next step to take on a date. Dammit.

"I hope you're excited about the movie," the brunette stated.

I clenched my hands making an effort to get my voice under control before speaking. When I could not, I simply nodded. The tension was palpable and tight, I could cut it with a knife. Kris turned towards the exit and gestured me to follow. I fell in steps with him after a moment, and we walked in silence before getting interrupted by a young woman in dark blouse, pencil skirt, and red heels.

"Hello gentlemen!" she chirped brightly. Honestly, the situation looked wrong and the atmosphere was bad enough even without including her into the equation. "My name's Linda and this is my name card." Turning her attention towards Kris, she continued, "Have you ever thought of becoming a model by any chance?"

I gave a light snicker, I just couldn't help it. I did whatever I could to suppress the laughter that was threatening to explode. Kris simply looked perplexed, "No."

"Well... do you wanna be one?" Linda pressed on.

Kris apparently looked uncomfortable, as he shifted his feet restlessly. He could burn a hole on the name card with the intensity of his gaze. "I don't think so," his reply barely audible.

"Uh-huh okay, here's what I'm gonna do fo--"

"We're not interested," I interrupted. I'd decided to cut his torture short by giving him a helping hand. I wasn't disappointed when he looked at me with gratitude written all over his dashing face. The woman did not look happy at all, in fact, she looked offended. Eying me with a look of distaste, she'd recomposed her demeanor to further persuade us. However, before she could do so, I took hold of Kris's arm and dragged him along. "Thanks, but no thanks," I shouted over my shoulder.

After a safe distance away from Linda, I released the death grip I'd on him, "Sorry but she's really persistent." Staring at each other, the bubbling feeling surfaced and both of us ended up crackling into huge laughter. Just like magic, the tension and awkwardness were gone. Our spirit was lifted, and our conversation became playful banter. The laughter was indeed contagious.

Wiping the stray tears from his face, we locked gaze for a few moments, "Thanks, Mike. We'd better hurry, running late," Kris said.

"Oh, crap."

***

The movie was beyond amazing, it had kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the film. I was keenly aware of the warm presence beside me, every now and then I would glance over making some sort of eye contact before shying away. Kris had placed his hand along the armrest of his seat, tempting and signaling me to grab hold of it. The setting was perfect, the cinema was dark and no one was paying attention to us. Everyone was in their own little bubble, it's perfect for someone like me, deep in the closet. However, as much as I wanted to, I did not have the courage. Soon, the movie was over and I'd lost my chance. As we streamed out of the dark theater, I could not help but felt a little dejected.

"It was fantastic," Kris said, initiating a light conversation.

I replied with a chuckle, "I love the badass bitch, she was wicked."

He agreed with a few nods, "Do you wanna take a walk in the nearby park?"

"I don't mind..." I trailed off with a shrug.

There was a secluded park approximately 10 minutes walk from the mall. It was an elongated park, the street lamps were dimly lit, and the benches were all vacant. As we walked side by side, I could smell his cologne emanating from his body. The back of our hands briefly touched as we strolled slowly along the concrete walkway, the feel was electrifying. I was beyond nervous. My breathing turned labored as my heartbeat increased in speed. I took a look around us once, we were alone, the park remained empty and quiet. I wanted to make a move, take an initiative, I wanna hold his hands, but I was scared... shitless. I looked into his piercing green eyes, it was dilated slightly due to the lack of lighting. The gaze felt like a spell binding me in place. I glanced around again, wanting to make sure we are absolutely alone. He looked at me patiently, bemused, with a small smile. I couldn't believe my heartbeat was getting faster, it felt like I was on the brink of hyperventilating. I swallowed the lump in my throat and took a deep breath...

"Why do you keep looking around? There's no one but us," he comforted me with a small smile.

I was startled when he spoke, I'd lost my momentum to do what I'd planned. Fuck. I chanced another look, the place was still void of other human beings. I could hear the pounding of my heart against my eardrums, palpitating hard and fast. My throat felt dry as I attempted another swallow. I looked at Kris, gazing into his eyes, I felt courageous. It felt as though he was encouraging me through his eyes, through our connection. I took a deep breath and plunged, going for what I wanted.

"Because I wanted to do this," I said with conviction, surprised at my own determination.

I grabbed his hands a little too hard, clasping our fingers together. I gave a nervous smile, closing my eyes, I let out a deep shuddering breath that I was holding. When I opened up, the first thing that I saw was his wide smile, his eyes crinkling with happiness. Nothing was said as we held onto each other, grinning from ear to ear.

I got the first taste of love...