The Acquittal - 5. Chapter 5

Kyle was sitting on the floor with his son as the doorbell rang. Matt stopped pushing his toy car to look up at his father with wide eyed excitement. Kyle laughed at the boy’s response and said in an animated voice, “mommy’s here!” He pulled himself up off the floor to go answer the door with the small boy running up to the door with him. He pulled the door open and the light reflected off Stephanie’s flaxen blonde hair flowing down just past her shoulders. She was carrying two bags of food but when she saw her son standing at the door with his father she greeted the little boy with delight as she handed the bags to Kyle so she could pick him up and give him a warm hug and kiss.

Stephanie had never wild about the idea of having children before Kyle approached her and her opinion hadn’t changed much since but she had to admit she was smitten with her offspring. She doubted she had the patience to care for him full time but Kyle seemed to revel in it so she felt she got the better part of the deal. A boy she could love and have around without all of the responsibility of raising him. “Oh, look at my beautiful little boy,” she said as she gave into the temptation of kissing his prominent cheeks that she never got tired of seeing and kissing.

The trio moved to the kitchen, getting Matt into his seat and opening up the bags. Kyle stopped as he saw what was inside and said mournfully, “Steph…! Spaghetti…?”

She shrugged, unconcerned. “What?”

He rolled his eyes and chuckled to himself “Alright, but you’re helping me clean up after we’re done.” He’s already had enough experiences with spaghetti and his son to know that dinner will be all over the table, if not the walls, before the night was over. He got the utensils and plates out and set them in front of Steph and his son, wisely pulling Matt’s chair closer to him to hopefully prevent any sudden explosions of spaghetti sauce that are more than likely to happen in the next half hour.

After the food was dished out, they all sat and began eating and talking with Kyle keeping at least one eye on Matt the entire time, successfully preventing the first few accidents of a child with a spoon attempting to shovel food into his mouth on his own.

“They signed the deal this afternoon on the Simpkin case, by the way,” Steph remarked casually as she ate.

Kyle’s eyebrows raised in surprise as he remarked, “that was quick. Makes me wonder what I may have missed.”

She shrugged and smirked. “What makes you think you missed anything?”

“Knowing Steve, after our meeting today, he probably sat the boy down and grilled him for an hour and didn’t let up before he got everything out of the little ba…” he stopped himself, remembering there’s a child in the room, “bad person.” She giggled at his efforts to censor himself as he continued. “If he would do that before I start laying down offers, he probably could have gotten the man-2 offer and saved the kid a couple extra years in prison.”

She sounded unconcerned. “Well, either way, we won. We’ll be in court Sometime in October most likely and then sentencing in a couple months. Once I hear back from the clerk’s office I’ll know more details and pass them onto you.”

He nodded in thanks. “I’m not sure how long this is gonna take with my dad to be honest. Could be a day, could be a week.”

“If you say so. Tell me more about this Troy guy. He sounded cute over the phone.” She stabbed her fork into the pasta and twirled it around before bringing it to her mouth as she watched Kyle.

He frowned a little and muttered, “friend of mine from school. We were on the swim team together.” He brought a mouthful of pasta to his mouth as his eyes shifted to check on his son’s efforts.

Her eyebrows raised in interest. “You never told me you were on the swim team.”

He shrugged. “Wasn’t important.”

“When was the last time you saw him?” Her eyes lifted from her plate to watch his face.

He pondered and finally replied, “I can’t remember. Maybe some holiday while we were in college? He went to UCLA after high school.”

“Did you tell him about Matt?” She looked up from her plate to watch his reaction.

Kyle looked perplexed as he responded, “No. Why should I?”

She sat up with a mild irritation in her eyes as her thin eyebrows came together. When she spoke, her voice sounded slightly cool even as a small smirk played on the edges of her lips. “Since when have you not told someone at the office about Matt or shown a picture or a video or anything else about some small tiny detail about him? And this is an old friend of yours?”

He could only shrug an reply, “I just don’t see the point, Steph. It’s not like he has time to come visit and I definitely don’t. No point in talking about it.”

She sat up and folded her arms across her chest. “Uh, huh. Try again.”

“I have my reasons, Steph. I prefer none of them get involved with my life now.” He continued to eat as if the subject wasn’t bothering him.

She shook her head sadly, her voice soft but her disappointment rang clear. “That’s… that’s sad, Kyle.”

He sneered a little before swallowing the pasta in his mouth. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned, Steph, life's never fair.”

She shook her head again and commented, “well, I don’t have to wonder why you’ve been single for four years now…”

Kyle smirked slightly, “I have everything I want right here.” He looked over at his son’s face and Steph could see his eyes soften in adoration for his son. The only time Kyle looks like the guy she first met in college was when his attention was focused on their son.

She took a few bites of her food before saying, “So, I’m dying to ask; How does one manage to hold onto a grudge for ten years?”

Kyle frowned and sighed, “It’s not a grudge. What happened…. Happened. Can’t be undone no matter how badly we might want it to.” His voice lowered sadly as he added, “I lost everything I ever cared about in one day. I had to learn to live with a new life and a new reality. I never knew why it happened or…” He stopped himself before saying too much. “That’s a lot of the reason why I don’t talk to any of them like I used to. Talking to Troy today was uncomfortable enough that I had to remember it all. Now I have to go back there and pretend everything is ok.”

She stared at him, for the first time not seeing anger when he mentions anything about his past. Now it was more regret and sadness. “There’s no chance of any reconciliation?”

He stared at his plate for a moment and asked, “how do you reconcile with a person who you loved more than you ever thought you could after he destroys your entire future, your dreams, in one night?”

She looked at him, seeing that vulnerable look in his eyes she saw earlier in the day. She felt pity for him but also a small measure of frustration as well. “If you love them, you can do anything, Kyle…”

He was silent for a moment before a sudden movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. Before he had time to react, half of a child sized bowl of spaghetti went tumbling to the floor. Matt watched wistfully with his spoon in hand as the small dish hit the floor with a crash, sending tomato sauce and noodles in all directions. Steph suppressed a sudden fit of giggles as Kyle stared at his son with a small grin, shaking his head, “Matt, you gotta not be so rough diving into the bowl.”

“Sorry, daddy,” the boy responded with a chagrined expression.

He chuckled and reach over to wipe his son’s mouth clean with his napkin. “It’s ok, Baby Boy.”

****

Kyle was sitting in a booth at a local restaurant with Andy, quietly eating. It had been Andy’s idea to meet there alone so they could talk. He didn’t always see the point of his little games but coming here to secretly indulge in some good spaghetti at a local place was too good to pass up. Usually when they come to this place it’s because Andy wants to gossip in private. He couldn’t help but wonder what he was gonna share this time.

“Dude, how is it that we’re only three months away from graduating and you still haven’t decided what you’re gonna major in when you get to college next fall,” Andy asked with a sardonic smile.

Kyle rolled his eyes, “I’ll figure it out. I just wanna do something that’ll help people. Maybe I’ll study psychology or something like that.”

Andy shrugged, seemingly unconvinced as he ate. “So, is there anything about Jacob I don’t know that maybe I should,” Andy asked casually as he spun his fork to gather up the noodles on his plate.

Kyle frowned in suspicion, suddenly on alert. “Nothing that’s relevant at least. Why?”

The blonde boy shrugged and replied, “I’m just curious. He’s a tough nut to crack.”

“You just gotta be nice,” he insisted.

Andy shot him a half smirking incredulous look. “Come on, man, I am nice to him. Outside of you, he likes me best out of all of us. I think. Of course, I don’t think the word ‘like’ would be the correct term you would use to describe how he feels about you.” He took a bite of the spaghetti off his fork and smiled mischievously at Kyle as he chewed. “By the way, how far have you gotten with him?”

Kyle groaned in frustration, keeping his voice down, “Oh, God, Andy. I haven’t told him anything. We spend a lot of time together. That’s all.” Now he knew why Andy invited him here.

“I was just curious” he responded after he swallowed. “You know... for your sake.”

Kyle rolled his eyes, keeping his voice down. “We haven’t…”

Andy put his hand up to stop him. “Ok, that’s what I figured.” But then a moment later he seemed to change his mind. “You know what to do when the time comes though, right?”

“This conversation is worse than coming out to my dad.” Kyle growled quietly.

“Relax,” he grinned at him, “I’m on your side in this.”

Kyle groaned and put his head in his hands. “I can’t believe you just asked me how far I’d gotten with Jacob.”

“I wish you’d calm down,” Andy quipped. “It’s like watching Brian in the dentist office.”

“We…. we talk. And we hang out together watching movies or doing our homework.” He paused and admitted reluctantly, “And, we’ve slept in the same bed and kind of touched each other. Sometimes we go walking around the groves. I think he doodles in these books of his. He never lets me see anything in them, though.”

Andy stopped chewing and listened to his friend. “I dunno. I think you’re both crazy for each other. One of you needs to make the first move.” They ate in silence for a few minutes before Andy picked up the thread of conversation again. “Seriously, though, how come you’re not like over the moon in love with him and holding his hand when we’re hanging out together and stuff? You guys haven’t acted any different around the rest of us and it feels a little odd. Like we’re all still just pretending you two are just friends.”

Kyle frowned, not having really thought about an explanation for that. “I guess, it’s because he’s still not that comfortable with it. We don’t really talk all that much about it. And, I haven’t really told him... You know. The three words. I also haven’t told him I’m… you know...”

Andy’s nose wrinkled like he just smelled something bad. “Well, that’s a good place to start at least. Isn’t it time you at least tell him you think of him as more than just a friend?”

Kyle’s face burned bright red and he whispered sharply, “What if he doesn’t really, you know, love me, like that?”

“Oh my God,” Andy muttered and rolled his eyes dramatically. He stared at Kyle for a moment before he said in a low voice. “Ok. What I’m about to tell you stays between us and that’s it. If you ever tell anyone, I will deny it and refuse to speak to you for a month.” Kyle silently chuckled hearing Andy’s standard childhood threat. He nodded in agreement before he continued. “Kyle... you are hot. You got the best body between all four of us, you got the charming smile and the pretty face to go with it. There isn’t much to not like about you. Add onto that, you are probably one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met. I mean, come on, you see some dickhead attacking some little kid and instead of beating the shit out of him you befriended him?! That’s not what normal people do! Not only that, you really get to know him and get to know him like you do with the rest of us. Fuck, I was getting a little jealous there in the beginning thinking you were gonna blow the rest of us off, but you didn’t.”

“So, you think I’m hot,” he asked with a playful smirk.

“Relax, shithead,” Andy said with a grin. “I like girls.”

Kyle sat back in his seat and shook his head in mild disbelief. He never expected anything like that come out of Andy’s mouth. “Well, thanks.” He looked down at his plate and picked up another fork full before biting in. Pondering what was just said. Thinking about that first moment of being with Jacob. The fight in the bathroom. He had to admit to himself he was in love with Jacob even then. “It’s his eyes,” he said aloud softly.

“Huh?” Andy looked up at him from his plate, questioningly.

“His eyes,” he said again. “They were so… beautiful. When I looked into them I couldn’t find anything to say. Even now when I look in his eyes I kind of get this feeling inside me. It’s scary and exciting and I just turn stupid. I love getting to touch him but I love it more when he touches me. And he has this... vulnerability to him that makes me so sad for him. You know he’s always putting himself down and stuff? That’s because his dad tells him all that shit. About how he’s worthless and nobody important. He told me once he wished he wasn’t so broken and that he’d never have anyone love him.”

“How come you didn’t tell him you loved him then?”

Kyle shook his head, “I wasn’t brave enough. I want to love him and show him how much I love him. But, this is all so new and everything. And I’m scared he’s not into me like I wish he was. I don’t want to risk losing his friendship if that’s all it’s ever going to be.” In the back of his mind he knew it was a lie. More of a lie to himself than to Andy. He didn’t want to tell Jacob that day because he was already in a bad place after Kyle had discovered the bruises and other marks on his body. It would have been the time to tell him but everything got in the way.

“So...” Andy’s mischievousness was clear in his voice, “what we need is a perfect moment.”

He chuckled and nodded, “yeah. I wish.”

“Well, prom is coming up in a month. You could do it then,” he said helpfully.

He stared at Andy across the table with an incredulous look, “you think I should tell him I love him in the middle of a crowded dance hall?!”

“I didn’t say do it there,” he defended himself, “I said do it then. When the two of you are all dressed up. Go to prom with the rest of us and later that night the two of you go somewhere special and tell him.”

Kyle stared at him with a mixture of surprise and awe. Then reality dawned on him and he frowned, shaking his head. “He wouldn’t want to go anyway.”

Andy grinned smugly as if he had already solved all their problems. “Sure he will. He’s part of the team. He has to go with us.”

He shook his head, unconvinced. “He probably can’t afford the tux rental or anything else about the night. He won’t have a date!”

“You’ll be his date. He just won’t know it!” Andy’s grin widened as he looked into Kyle’s eyes.

Kyle closed his eyes and had the sudden desire to wish himself out of this conversation. “Oh, God…”

He leaned over the table to keep his voice down but not dampen his enthusiasm. “Dude, we can do this. It’ll be easy.”

“I wish.”

“Listen for a second before you fly off the handle,” Andy said forcefully enough to get his attention again. Once Kyle was looking in his eyes he lowered his voice to a more gentle tone and asked, “if you could choose one place to take him, be alone with him and tell him how much you love him, where would it be?”

He stopped and thought about it as a small smile grew on his face. “The orchard. He loves spending time in there with me. We’d stay out there after dark and just sit and talk. I’d love telling him stuff just to see him smile. I remember the first joke he told me was there under the stars.”

Andy nodded emphatically, “I’ll get his tux for him. We’ll do this as a team for the both of you. Troy can figure out the particulars and we can set it up for you. All you have to do is stop doubting yourself.”

“You guys don’t have…”

“Shut up. We’re a team. We stick together.” Andy had a confident look in his eyes as he stared at Kyle while he drank his water.

****

It was a week later, sitting in the cafeteria when Troy suddenly blurted out to the group, “We should start making plans for prom night, guys.” Kyle looked up at Troy and then over to Andy, his eyes narrowing slightly.

“I’m asking Chrissy out,” Andy offered. “Pretty sure she’s gonna say yes. I think.” If he saw Kyle’s reaction he was pretending to ignore it as he looked over at Troy and Brian.

Troy nodded and added, “I’m pretty much locked in with Stacy.” He then looked around the circle to the other three boys. Kyle tried to keep his face as neutral as possible despite all the anxiousness he was feeling inside.

“Uh,” Brian said quietly, “I haven’t figured out who I wanna bring.”

“It’s no biggie, dude,” Andy supplied. “I’m sure one of Chrissy’s friends will go with you.”

Andy and Troy then looked to Kyle, as if they were waiting for him to recite his lines. “I, ah...” Kyle began nervously and suddenly realizing looking over at Jacob was not a good idea at the moment, “I wasn’t planning on going but I figure I could just tag along with you guys for an hour or so.” Andy nodded, satisfied.

With that pronouncement, the others turned their heads towards Jacob and waited to see what he’d say. His eyes widened nervously when he noticed everyone staring at him. “I... ah, can’t. Go.”

All four of them responded, “you can’t!?”

He sat back in his seat at the unexpected reaction. “Well... I really don’t have the money for a tux and I’m pretty sure I couldn’t get a date anyway.”

“Dude...” Andy said in a noticeable tone of relief. “My dad is taking care of all our tuxes. Troy’s dad is handling the car and Kyle’s dad is handling pre-party stuff. This is a team thing. Yeah, some of us will have dates and stuff, but before we hook up with the girls, we’re all going to Kyle’s house for pictures together and then pics at the prom. After that, it’ll just be hanging out and having fun.”

“I don’t know...” Jacob seemed unconvinced.

“There’s no arguing,” Troy stated flatly. “You’re part of the team, you’re coming with us. You can dress at Kyle’s, meet us all there, go to the prom and then back to Kyle’s. Just tell your dad you’re spending the night there and it’s all good.”

Jacob considered it and relaxed with a small smile before looking over at Kyle and said, “if it’s cool with you, that would work fine.”

Kyle briefly wondered how much of all that was scripted on Troy and Andy’s part. He’d have to ask later. Right now, he’s going to the prom with Jacob and a bright smile formed on his face. The part about the tuxes was an obvious lie but if it worked, it was a lie he could live with. “Sure thing. We’re gonna have a great time.” As they all went back to eating, Kyle glanced over to Andy and caught his gaze. Andy grinned smugly and gave him a wink before going back to his lunch. He suddenly felt very lucky having his friends at his back.

****

The weeks seemed to fly by as graduation approached. Before they knew it Prom Night was upon them. Kyle, Andy and Troy had worked carefully on the details of the night to make it as perfect as possible for everyone involved. Brian helped by making sure Jacob got fitted and found an outfit he liked to make it look like it was all no big deal. More than anything, the boys wanted to make the night special for Kyle and Jacob.

The day before Prom, Kyle told his dad what they had planned and he gave his son his complete support and promised to “stay out of the way,” should anything happen. The only shift in the plan came when Jacob told Kyle that he couldn’t spend the night because his dad wanted him home. His father felt it being Prom Night, Jacob would probably get in trouble and wanted him to be at home no later than eleven that night. It was a disappointment but they worked around it to make sure it all worked out.

On Friday afternoon of the prom, Jacob and Kyle arrived at his house to start getting ready. While Kyle was planning on getting a shower first, David insisted on taking Jacob to go get his hair cut for the big night. That wasn’t part of the plan either but Kyle went along with it and Jacob seemed unable to sway David from making his altruistic offer. Once they were gone, Kyle tried to calm his nerves as he grabbed his cellphone and looked over his media player. He found the song he wanted for the night, set it up to play later and put it away so he wouldn’t screw it up when the time came.

After showering and putting on some simple shorts and shirt before it got time to get dressed, he waited alone in the house. The longer the wait was, the more nervous he got. He realized that tonight he was going to do what he hadn’t dared think about. A part of him still wasn’t sure Jacob was going to enjoy what he had planned. The biggest fear was that he had assumed wrong about his relationship with him. There was no denying that what he felt was real and even as nervous and self-conscious as he was, he did feel fleeting moments where they were more than just friends and that it was mutual. An hour later when his father returned with Jacob, he was stunned by how different he looked. Jacob’s dark hair was now short and spiked much like his own only longer on top with the sides shaved very close. It accentuated his bright blue eyes and seemed to give him a new confidence as he looked up at Kyle from the bottom of the stairs with a lopsided, almost playful grin.

“Well, does it look okay,” Jacob asked him with a slightly anxious tone after Kyle stood there wordlessly staring at him.

Kyle’s mouth opened to say something but it took a second to get anything out. “I, uh, yeah. Wow. You look awesome!”

Jacob’s eyes seemed to brighten from his praise. “Thanks!”

David patted Jacob on the back and said smoothly, “go ahead on upstairs and get cleaned up and dressed before the others get here.” The boy nodded and hurried up the stairs. Once he was out of the room, father and son looked at each other. A wide, shit-eating grin on David’s face as he said in a low, amused tone, “and that, my son, is my prom night gift to you.”

Kyle laughed and ran to hug his dad who received him warmly. “I love you. I love you so much, dad.”

“Always and forever, son. Now, you head on up and get dressed to while I go find my camera. No way am I missing out on this.”

Kyle obeyed and a few minutes later came back down into the front room, dressed in his tuxedo and dress shoes. He made it about halfway down the stairs before his father said suddenly, “wait! Don’t move, son. Just stand there for a second for me.”

Kyle furrowed his brow in confusion but obeyed. David pulled out his camera, making sure it was ready, not wanting to miss any moment for any of his boys tonight. He looked up at Kyle and just stared for a moment. Biting his lower lip, he blinked back a tear. His little boy was all gone now. In front of him stood a man and while he knew his role was ending in many ways, he couldn’t be prouder of who was standing in front of him. “Gimme a second to get a picture or two of just you.” He aimed the camera and shot two pictures of Kyle, standing on the stairs, smiling happily.

After Kyle came down the stairs, there was a knock on the door and Troy and his dad, Sam, entered, announcing their arrival followed soon after by Andy and his father as well. It had been planned that the sons and fathers would all meet here to make sure they all got their chance to take pictures of their team of sons. After graduation, the felt it would be a rare occasion before they would ever be together like this again. After Brian and his dad arrived, they all stood around, taking pictures of fathers and sons together, laughing and sharing stories.

“Where’s Jacob,” Troy asked as he looked around.

“I’ll go get him, “Kyle offered as he stood up from the loveseat.

“No, I’ll go get him.” David hurried upstairs to get their last member. When David checked up on him, it turned out he needed some help with the tux having never worn a suit of any kind before. A little help from a father, a little ego boost and he was ready to go. David made Jacob wait at the top of the stairs so he could grab his camera. He got it ready and then yelled up, “all ready, Jacob.” He quickly muttered to his son next to him, “brace yourself.”

Kyle looked up and his jaw dropped open. Jacob slowly stepped down the stairs in his black dress shoes. The suit pants fit him perfectly and the shirt did enough to show off the broad chest that tapered down to his narrow waist. He had the suit coat slung over his shoulder. With the bow tie around his neck, a set of cufflinks borrowed by David and the brightly shined black dress shoes, it made the entire image burn into his memory forever. The contrast between the boy he first met and the person standing there was striking and Kyle knew right then that there was no one else he wanted to be with.

“Holy fucking shit,” Andy muttered as he stared up at Jacob.

“Language...” one of the other dads said.

Everyone made him stop on the stairs so they could get a picture of Jacob. Soon the other boys joined him one at a time and then it was down to the living room near the fireplace for group pictures.

“Ok,” David said, taking charge (since it was his house, he reasoned) “Jacob and Kyle, you two stand next to each other. Troy, you stand behind them off to the side. Andy, stand just behind Jacob and to the right a little. Your right, son. Perfect. Brian, stand just like Andy but over behind Kyle.” The other fathers’ cameras flashed as David took in the sight with a wide grin. After the other’s finished he lifted his camera, at the same time giving Kyle a meaningful look. A second before his dad took his own picture, Kyle reached next to him and slipped his hand into Jacob’s. Jacob, out of reflex and maybe a little unease at having so much attention, took his hand and held it just as David’s flash lit the room.

The men looked at their sons proudly and eventually, after a few snacks and some bottled water, let them be on their way, emphasizing to take care of each other. After years of being together, that tended to be all that any of their dads needed to say to keep them in line. After the boys left, David and the other fathers stayed to visit for a little bit for a drink and to reminisce over old times, old friends and those special moments their sons would soon experience for themselves.

The boys arrived at the hall in the large Lexus SUV loaned to them by Troy’s dad for the formal Prom. They exited as a team and walked in together, stealing many glances and nods of approval. Troy and Andy’s dates greeted them all warmly giving all of them compliments on their appearance. Stacy seemed very impressed with Jacob, not having known him very well and suggested that if he needed a dance partner for the night there would be plenty of her friends who would be happy to share a dance with him. The boy blushed brightly at the sudden positive attention but stuck next to Kyle who got a sense of pride in all the people there who took a sudden interest in Jacob.

They all stood in line, talking and laughing as they waited for their turn for the formal prom pictures. Since the boys had already had plenty of pictures taken together at Kyle’s house, Troy and Andy were the only ones to get formal prom pictures with their dates. After that was complete, the boys went in different directions once they entered the dance hall. The music blaring loud enough to be heard towards the back of the room but still able to carry on a conversation.

At one point, Kyle and Jacob were alone towards the back of the room, quietly looking around the crowd and making occasional comments to each other. A few times, some girls would work up the courage to come up and talk to them. The boys remained polite but stuck together. One girl was particularly bold when she walked straight up to Jacob and gushed over how sexy he looked as she ran her hand over his chest. Kyle had to bite his tongue to stop himself from getting defensive or bust up laughing when he saw Jacob’s face burn brighter than he’d ever seen. Eventually, the girls would give up and head back to their dates for the evening.

“You’re nervous,” Kyle whispered in his ear when they had a free moment.

“Yeah. Not used to this,” he replied quietly. He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do and definitely wasn’t used to the attention he was getting. A few times he felt like running out of the building. Large crowds tended to make him uneasy due to the fact that he wasn’t able to keep track of everyone near him. The only thing that kept him calm was Kyle’s presence.

Kyle chuckled and put a hand on his shoulder, making sure he stays quiet enough to not be overheard. “Not used to being thought of as one of the hot guys in school?”

Jacob smirked. “Something like that, yeah.” Kyle’s touch on his shoulder banished most of his concerns. He wasn’t sure he would have managed well on his own in the room if Kyle had suddenly decided to split off and go wandering around without him.

Kyle smirked and brushed up against his shoulder. “Well, you are. Always have been. Maybe I was just the first one to notice.” He moved a little closer to Jacob’s face letting their eyes meet.

The boy blushed and his smile became smaller but his eyes were just as bright. He’d never heard Kyle talk about him like that. Sure, he complimented his workout in the past but this was different. “Well, I’m not the only hot guy here,” he said, being brave enough to not break eyes contact with him.

Kyle hid a smile, not wanting to draw attention to the fact that the two of them had been nearly inseparable since they arrived. “If you wanna leave, just let me know. I’ll get Troy to take us back, ok?”

Jacob looked around and asked him, “what about you? Don’t you wanna dance or something?” He wasn’t wild about the idea of Kyle dancing with some random girl but he figured he should at least do it just to say he at least danced with someone on prom night.

Kyle looked at him for a moment, mustered up all his courage and said haltingly, “There’s only one person… one guy… I wanna dance with tonight.” Squeezing Jacob’s shoulder gently, he looked into his eyes and could only hope. It was a big risk to take. He had just outed himself in a crowded room to the one person in the world who could have crushed his heart. But he knew his friends were nearby and if things went sour, he could call on them to help.

Jacob blinked, taken off guard completely. Sure he felt there was something stronger than just friendship between them but hearing him finally acknowledge it and show Jacob that he felt the same way, here in the middle of prom, was more than what he expected. “Uh...” Jacob said softly as he looked away. Kyle thought he’d lost him for a second but then he saw one corner of his mouth raise slightly and those blue eyes take on a different look he hadn’t seen before. “Well... we don’t need to hang out here for much longer, I guess. I have to be home by eleven. Is there somewhere else you wanted to go?”

Kyle felt like a dead elephant had just been lifted off his chest. It was all true. It was going to happen. He hoped no one noticed how ecstatic he just became for a moment as he tried to control his voice to say quietly, “I was thinking we could take a walk in the orchard and… talk.”

Jacob looked around and asked, “should we just leave now?”

Kyle chuckled, “I don’t see why not. It’s not like we’ll be missed.”

Jacob nodded and smiled. His hand reached out to brush against Kyle’s hand before he said quietly, “If we don’t hurry, I feel like one of us is gonna turn into a pumpkin.”

They looked at each other as they slowly started to laugh together. The sound carried, drawing a few eyes but most had no idea what they were laughing about so went about their way.

Brian happened to be walking nearby, watching Troy and Andy with their dates from a distance. He was just happy to be at the party and he was curious what the odds were that Andy was actually going to get somewhere with Chrissy. He was betting she’d find someone else in the next hour and leave him hanging. When he heard Kyle and Jacob laughing, he glanced over their way. It didn’t take him more than a second to figure out what might be going on so he made his way around the area to get eye contact with Kyle without being noticed. When he met Kyle’s gaze he gave him a thumbs up signal with a questioning look. When he saw Kyle’s bright smile and slight nod he broke into a grin and walked over to Troy.

He had only to slip into a small crowd before he saw Troy’s back with his hand behind Stacy. “Troy!” he called over the chatter. He kept a little distance from the others, smart enough to keep discrete to not attract unwanted attention, he waited for Troy to separate himself from the group he was mingling with to step towards him.

“What’s up?” he asked, looking around.

“The mission was a success,” Brian said with a grin.

Troy looked around the crowded hall. “How much time do we have left?”

“About two hours, maybe.” Double checking the time on his cellphone.

Troy thought about it for a second. Brian didn’t get a date while he had Stacy. If he left, it would raise questions. If Brian left, no one may notice. He fished out the keys and tossed them to Brian. “Twenty minutes. Go. Tell him I’ll be calling him after midnight.”

Brian caught the keys and nodded before walking back to Kyle and Jacob. It took him a moment to find them again in the thickening crowd. A few girls had struck up conversations with them in an obvious attempt to join them. The boys were being polite but also keeping a distance. Brian thought fast and hurried up to Kyle saying quickly, “hey, Kyle, your dad called. He needs you to come home. There’s been a development.” Emphasizing the last work and giving him a meaningful look.

Kyle managed to fight the urge to roll his eyes and nodded. “Oh, well, I should go then. Can you give me a ride?”

Brian held out the keys to the SUV and smiled. “May as well take Jacob with you too. All his stuff is at your house.”

Kyle nodded, going along with it just to keep up appearances. He might not have played the games like Andy and Brian did but he was smart enough to improvise when he had to. He turned and looked to Jacob with a small smirk and asked, “are you ready?”

Jacob looked at the two of them and smiled slightly but also unsure of what was going on as he followed them out. Brian quickly led them out of the hall and into the parking lot nearly at a march as he said, “Troy gave me twenty minutes to get you home and come back. He also told me to tell you to expect a call after midnight.”

Jacob asked suddenly, “what’s going on?”

Brian hit the button to unlock the doors and got into the driver’s seat. He looked back at Jacob and flashed him an impish grin. “We’re giving you and Kyle the Prom Night the two of you deserve.” He pulled out of the parking space and headed slowly towards Kyle’s home.

Kyle put his hand in Jacob’s and looked over at him. “You ok with this?”

Jacob didn’t know what to say, but was starting to catch Kyle’s excitement. “I trust you.”

Brian kept his eyes on the road but couldn’t suppress a grin. He hoped that the two of them would have a good memory. “Relax, Jacob. You’re among friends. Better than friends. We’re a team.”

Jacob visibly relaxed, letting his smile from earlier return as he looked over at Kyle, squeezing his hand softly. “I... I don’t know what to say.”

“They’ve been planning this for weeks,” Kyle admitted.

“Planning what?” Jacob’s face was a mask of confusion.

He looked over at him and smiled to reassure him. “Tonight. For us.”

Jacob started in shock, “how did they know?”

“Jacob,” Brian interjected still smiling. He knew Andy’s plan would work. “It’s been a bit obvious. Just relax. We got you.”

Jacob stayed in a quiet daze until they pulled up in the drive to the Howard and Howard Orchard. Kyle gripped Brian’s shoulder in silent thanks and said, “hurry back to Troy before he starts to worry.” Brian nodded and smiled, waving at them as he pulled out. The headlights flashed over the two boys before the moonlit darkness surrounded them.

Kyle looked at Jacob and smiled softly. He extended his hand to Jacob who looked at it and then Kyle’s eyes before taking the offered hand. The air wasn’t as warm as it was in summer but they had been blessed with a warm day and the wind had been calm allowing some of the warm air to remain. A waxing moon that was nearly full in a cloudless sky lit their way. They walked slowly, holding hands to stay close. Deeper into the trees they moved until Kyle came to a stop at the same tree they had spent the last year sitting under together. It was a place Jacob had always felt peaceful and content, the first place he had touched Kyle and felt more than just friendship for him. A few of the blossoms on the tree had appeared over the last few days. The moonlight gave them a soft glow as the walked beneath them.

As they came to a stop, Kyle pulled his phone from his pocket, saying softly, “there’s so many things I want to say to you. Things I should have said a while back but I wasn’t sure if I could. If you’ll be ok with it, I’d like to dance with you tonight.”

Jacob stared at him as his eyes shimmered in the moonlight. His words were quiet but clear. “I was kind of hoping you would.”

Kyle hit a few buttons on his phone before he said, “there’s a song that makes me think about you every time I hear it. I want you to hear it and dance with me so we never forget it.” He held out his left hand to Jacob. As they joined hands, Kyle sat his phone on a nearby branch and hit play. Kyle’s other hand went to the bottom of Jacob’s back and he felt Jacob’s hand on his shoulder as the phone came to life, playing Christina Aguilera’s “Beautiful.”

When Jacob recognized the lyrics of the song his eyes looked all over Kyle’s face. He paled slightly, unsure of what to do or say. Kyle began to slowly move the two of them to the sound of the music. His eyes remained fixed on him as they both let the music and the words take them away from their fears and insecurities. As they moved together, Kyle could never know how strong and reassuring he was in that moment for Jacob. For the first time in his life, he truly felt worthy of someone else. His feelings kept his body moving as they slowly pressed together, their faces inches apart.

Kyle had come to accept how much he loved Jacob but this moment made those feelings intensify as he felt Jacob’s head turn and rest on his shoulder. Holding him and smiling as they moved in soft circles, feeling as if the entire world had been created just for them and this moment. He couldn’t stop himself as he heard the words, “You are beautiful no matter what they say,” his hand on Jacob’s back slowly moved up and down, the same way he had months ago to comfort him when he was feeling so low and unwanted.

Jacob’s body trembled against his for a moment and Kyle heard a small noise from him as he kept rubbing that beautiful warm back. He felt Jacob’s body shake again and then a third time. Sensing something was amiss, he stopped moving. Taking his hand from Jacob’s, he put it under his chin to lift Jacob’s face to his eyes. In the moonlight, the icy blue eyes seemed like two warm silver circles as a tear flowed down Jacob’s face. It wasn’t pain or fear in Jacob’s eyes. It was the look of someone who had finally been found after being lost for a very long time.

Kyle couldn’t hold back his desire anymore. He gently brushed the tear away and brought his face closer. Jacob didn’t pull away as their heads tilted slightly bringing their lips closer together until Kyle felt Jacob’s lips against his own. Slowly, their lips moved and Kyle felt his heart come alive. He could feel Jacob’s love right there in that spot as they kissed each other. Their lips parted and their tongues met. Kyle heard a soft sound of contentment as their tongues touched and probed past each other but he could never be sure who had made the sound. Arms wrapped around each other as they gave into the suppressed desires they’d been hiding from each other and themselves. Nothing else mattered and nothing else existed in that moment and the crescendo of the music seemed to urge them on as if in a blessing to their show of love for each other.

As the last chorus sounded around them, their lips parted and their eyes met again. The feeling of release from the questions and uncertainties, the confirmation of love and love returned was a rush to them and they could only smile widely. Eventually, the sudden sense of ease brought laughter to their lips which was an even sweeter sound to their ears. Arms holding each other closer, they stared into each other’s eyes. A new and powerful bond had been born between them. They knew that no matter what the future held for them, there would always be this moment. A moment no one could ever take away from them. As the last notes of the song drifted away into the night, Kyle whispered to him, “I love you.”

Jacob bit his lip and shook in his arms as more tears sprang from his eyes. In a small voice he whispered, “I never thought anyone would ever say that to me.”

“I told you you were wrong about that. I’ve always loved you, Jacob. And I always will, no matter what.”

Jacob pressed his cheek against Kyle’s and held him tight. Kyle sighed in relief. He always knew this would be the hardest moment of his life and yet, now that it’s done, it was the most simple. His friends and his father had ensured that it would be a moment neither of them would ever forget.

They stood there, finding refuge in their shared embrace. Eventually, they knew the moment had to end. They shared one more sweet kiss before Kyle retrieved his phone, took Jacob’s hand and led him towards the house.

As they moved through the trees, Jacob finally asked, “You planned all of this?”

Kyle chuckled as he looked over at him, “Guilty. Not that I did it all myself.” A mischievous smirk crossed his lips as he added, “It was a team effort.”

“So, all that talk about tonight and how I had to come…?” His face went from amused to surprised as he digested it all.

“I told you they liked you,” he replied with a chortle. Jacob said nothing in response. He squeezed Kyle’s hand in his as they headed up the path leading to the house and the light over the back door.

They walked in silently, hand in hand. The clicks of their dress shoes on the wooden floors the only mark of their passing as they headed to the stairs.

“Hold up, just one second there, boys.” The two turned around in surprise to see Kyle’s father sitting on the sofa alone, looking up at the two of them with unabashed pride and happiness in his eyes.

Kyle stopped to look back at his father, feeling Jacob squeeze his hand softly. “Hey, Dad. What do you need?”

“Well, I was hoping to get a couple more pictures in,” he said as he stood up. He glanced from one face to the other and added, “but that kind of depends on what just happened out back. Not that I need to hear any details, mind you. Just want to know if you two had a good night.”

The boys exchanged looks and smiled before Kyle looked back at his dad and simply said, “it was the best night ever, dad.”

“Good,” he said with a pleased smile. “Now, I held off getting a picture of just the two of you in your suits and I wanna get at least one so you guys will have something to remember the night.” He motioned them over to the spot they had taken their pictures earlier. “Son, stand just behind him and put your arm around his waist. Jacob, just put your left hand over his. Now, boys, try and smile like you did earlier when you kissed.” He grinned as he lifted his camera.

“How do you know we kissed?” He held still, waiting for the flash.

His dad laughed and replied, “I can see it in your eyes. Both of you.” He snapped two pictures and put the camera back down. “Ok. You’re free to go. Make sure you get Jacob home in time.”

They both headed upstairs, changing out of their rented clothes. “I feel like my whole life just changed,” Jacob remarked.

“Is that good or bad?” Kyle grinned as he slowly worked his way out of the dress shirt.

“Great,” he grinned as he slipped out of his shirt and tie. He leaned over and kissed Kyle again. “I never knew it could feel this good.”

“I’m pretty sure we can make it better with some practice,” he grinned.

Jacob had removed his dress shirt and was carefully hanging it back up when he said thoughtfully, “we still have some things to talk about, I think too.”

Kyle looked over to ask what he meant but was stopped, staring at Jacob’s bare chest again. “Uh,” Blinking he turned back, concentrating on the task at hand. Get him home safe before he’s late. He noticed they still had forty-five minutes. Enough time to spare, not enough time to do everything he’s been dreaming about doing. “What stuff exactly?”

“Like the future,” he explained, “you’re going off to college in the fall. Not sure what’s gonna happen to me.”

“You could come with me,” Kyle offered and he pulled a simple tee shirt over his head.

“And do what,” he asked, his voice muffled as he pulled his ragged shirt over his head as well.

Kyle walked up to him, not feeling restrained anymore he placed his hands on Jacob’s wide chest and enjoyed the physical contact. Jacob made a pleasant noise in his throat, letting Kyle know he liked what he was doing. Jacob reach behind Kyle’s head and brought their mouths together in another searing kiss. It was going to be hard to not do that whenever they were near each other at school for their final weeks.

“We’ll figure it out later,” Kyle said as their lips parted. “Right now, all that matters is we’re together and we’ll make it work somehow. I promise.”

Jacob smiled and nodded, letting him know he trusted him totally. He grabbed his bag and the two boys made their way out the door, Jacob saying goodnight to David as they left. It wasn’t a long ride but Kyle stretched it out, driving with one hand and holding onto Jacob’s with the other. As he pulled up outside the trailer park, he looked over at Jacob. He wanted to lean over and kiss him but wasn’t sure if he would be comfortable doing that out in public even if it was dark out. “I hope it was everything you hoped it would be,” Kyle said softly as they looked at each other.

Jacob moved closer on the bench seat and said, “it was better than I could have dreamed. Tell Troy and the others thanks.” Kyle just chuckled and was about to say something when Jacob put a finger over his lips to quiet him. He moved closer still, looking into his brown eyes and said softly, “There’s something you forgot though.”

Kyle’s brow furrowed in puzzlement. “What?”

Jacob grinned and leaned over and kissed him softly on the lips before saying, “I didn’t get a chance to tell you that I love you. And I do. I love you, Kyle.”

Kyle’s heart melted. He wanted to say something but he couldn’t. Finally Jacob broke the silence as he said softly, “I’ll call you tomorrow.” He reluctantly let go of Kyle’s hand, sliding over to open the door and exited the truck. He gave Kyle one last, loving look before closing the door, waving and turning around to walk the remaining way home.

Kyle drove home in a daze. So happy he couldn’t put it into words. He almost wanted to cry because of how light he felt after all the worrying and questions that had weighed him down. He could see a path in front of him of where their lives would go. He wanted to share that life with Jacob and no one else. He knew he could figure out a way to make it work. He just needed time. He also needed to figure out what he wanted to do with his life. What was he going to become?

It was a little after midnight as he was laying in bed when he heard his phone ring on his desk. He smiled, knowing the ringtone was just for Troy and he answered it saying in a quiet voice, “that didn’t take long for you to call. I guess you struck out with Stacy.”

“Says you,” Troy replied with a laugh. “How did your night go?”

That smile crept back into his face as he said, “better than I could have dreamed.”

“So, you two are…?”

“Together,” Kyle finished.

Troy’s deep chuckled echoed over the line for a moment before he said in a more serious tone, “I’m happy for you, bro. If you ever need anything, you know who to call.”

“Thanks. Right now, I’m tired and ready for sleep.” He said softly.

“Ok, bud,” he replied. “Talk more later. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.” He clicked the phone off, putting it back on its charger before clicking off the nightlight next to his bed. He slid down the bed, laying on his side, smiling as he imagined him and Jacob together in the future. It was a thought that eventually carried him into his dreams.