Chapter Text
Josh’s body was leaning nonchalantly against the wall, his arms tightly crossed over his chest. He was frowning too, giving the impression that he’d rather be anywhere but here right now. Which was not just an impression but the actual truth. His girlfriend, Alice, had dragged him to the mall on a Sunday afternoon, which was already a very unpleasant way to spend the day according to him, but he could have handled a shopping afternoon with her or something like that - she was his girlfriend after all. However, what she had planned was so much worse - she had arranged a double date with her best friend, who he didn’t even know, and her boyfriend who was also a stranger to him. He didn’t even know why he had agreed to this. These kinds of arranged dates were everything he hated - he found them cheesy and way too awkward.
He was pulled from his thoughts by a sloppy kiss. Alice’s smile widened before she took a step back and resumed scanning the crowd for her friend. He remembered now why he had agreed: Alice had tricked him with kisses, caresses and promises. He’d been a real fool on that one. But who could blame him? Josh was a sixteen-year-old teenager dating for the first time. Next time, he’d think twice before agreeing on something like this…
Well, at least he’d try - Alice could be rather convincing when she wanted to. She wasn’t on the debate team by accident. And she was also persevering, cheerleading oblige. She was used to jumping for hours in the sun, no way she’d let him off that easy!
Thing is, he was rather fond of this side of her. The small brunette was always ready for a fight, either verbal or physical. He liked that in her. Even the time she had overpowered him in front of his friends because he had hidden her cheerleading outfit couldn’t dent his pride in having a strong, feisty girlfriend like Alice.
He never really understood why people at their school liked the over-cheerful and extroverted side of her so much. If he could, he’d dropped the giggles, cute pouting faces and chitchat in a heartbeat.
Yet, he was willing to bet there would be plenty of them this afternoon…Alice’s best friend was also a cheerleader and he knew from experience that hanging out with several flyers wasn’t really relaxing. To make the situation even worse, he had to deal with the boyfriend. Boyfriend who, according to Alice, was the very popular lacrosse captain at his high-school. Can’t you see it coming? The cheerleader and the lacrosse captain, probably future Queen and King of the prom and definitely the most stereotypical couple he will ever be blessed to meet. In his mind, he had already pictured one of those bitchy/dummy popular teen movie couples.
The first glimpse he got of them actually confirmed his fears. The girl, a tall figure with olive skin and curly brown hair, wore flowery mini-shorts with a flashy pink top. She was walking slowly, her hips rolling sensually with each step and a large gold handbag swinging in rhythm. As soon as she spotted Alice, her pace quickened and she jumped into the brunette’s arms. The two girls turned into a bouncing pile of shrieks and laughter. Great…
Josh returned his attention to the boy who was still walking slowly in their direction. He was tall - at least a head taller than me, Josh thought sourly. With his light brown hair arranged in a loose bun, his perfect tan and his athletic build, he looked like he’d just stepped out of an Abercrombie ad . Yet, his plain grey T-shirt, his faded denim and his turned around Denver Outlaws cap reflected something else.
Josh didn’t have time to think about it further - Alice was waving excitedly at him. He reluctantly pulled himself away from the wall and joined the small group.
“Josh, this is Olivia and her boyfriend… Alexis, right?” Alice asked even though she already knew the answer. She had never met the guy in the flesh but Olivia had talked about him so many times that she couldn’t forget his name even if she wanted to!
“Yeah that’s it.” He answered with an easy laugh. “Nice meetin’ you. Finally.”
“Same here,” Alice chuckled as she hugged him. “Oh and this is Josh, my boyfriend!”
The blonde awkwardly waved to the couple. He wasn’t the hugging type but apparently Olivia was. She quickly crossed the distance between them and wrapped her arms tightly around his shoulders for a quick embrace. “So nice to meet you! Alice was right, you ARE handsome!”
“Um…Thanks,” josh replied as he took a few steps back. He glanced warily at Alexis and the boy seemed to sense his discomfort. He simply held his hand to Josh who the blonde shook it gladly.
After this brief introduction, the little group decided to stop at the ice-cream shop. As per usual, the small boutiqur was crowded. Teenagers were lined up in front of the machines, waiting to fill their cups with all their favorite ice cream flavors. The two girls weren’t long to make their way to the counter, only taking a single scoop of vanilla ice cream each - something about keeping their weight down before an upcoming competition… One thing was sure, Josh wasn’t on a diet and he would need all the sugar he could get to make it through the afternoon. He took a maxi cup, filled it with both peanut butter and chocolate ice cream and covered the whole with cookies, candies and toffee topping. He paid and joined the group. They were seated at a four-seat table, near the indoor fountain in the mall. Josh took the last seat available, near Alice and across Alexis. He peeked at the guy’s cup: cookie ice cream, chocolate chips and whipped cream. Simple but efficient, he thought.
“So Alexis, I understood that you were sorta new in LA, right?”, Alice asked.
“Yeah, my parents and I moved in this summer. This is my first school year here.”
“Where are you from?” Josh asked, suddenly joining the conversation.
“Um…I spent the past two years in Denver. But I moved around quite a bit before that.… ‘cause of my dad’s job, y'know. ” Josh didn’t know. His “father” had left a long time ago and his mother had always worked at the same medical clinic. He nodded nonetheless.
“Wow that must not have been easy every day. Always being the new kid and all”, Alice said.
“Sure but I…I usually manage to make friends pretty quickly.” Alexis said, smiling at Josh.
“You don’t say!” Olivia intervened loudly. “The guy’s been here for 5 months and he’s already captain of the lacrosse team and one of the most popular guy at school!”
“And he already got himself a girl!” Alice pointed out, smirking.
“Well, how could I say no to him? He is handsome as hell, nice, intelligent and he asked me out on Halloween night, in a police man costume! Never say no to a cop, that’s what my mother taught me” she winked.
Alice giggled before pursing her lips “You two are adorable!”
Really? How is this supposed to be cute? Josh’s wondered, dumbstruck. That was probably one of the silliest thing he had ever heard. And a police man costume? Seriously? He could just picture the scene in his head and it was so funny he couldn’t prevent a snicker from escaping his mouth.
“Something funny, Josh?” Olivia asked, her voice going way too high. Josh snapped his mouth shut. “You know, I actually don’t know much about you. How did you conquer the heart of my bestie?”
“ Ollie!” Alice shrieked.
“What?” Olivia replied with a deceptively innocent tone and a huge smile plastered on her face. “Isn’t this double date supposed to be about us getting to know each other better?” She winked before turning back to her victim. “So Josh?”
The blonde looked around for help but they were all staring at him expectantly. Even Alice. Mostly Alice, actually. She had stars in her eyes, as if she expected him to tell an extroardinary story on how they had met and fallen deeply in love with each other. He couldn’t do that. He didn’t talk about feelings. Never. To anyone. Alice knew that very well.
He gulped down a spoonful of ice cream before answering “There’s nothing special, really. We’ve known each other for a while, since the ninth grade or somethin and…um… I don’t know, we got closer this year 'cause Alice was designated as my English tutor. Then, we started dating. That’s all, really.” He sneaked a look at Alice and saw her pouting but there was no way he’d say another word. Olivia was about to ask another question when Alexis spoke, launching a brand new talking point. Josh couldn’t be more grateful right now. He sent Alexis a weak smile, to which the brunette responded quickly with a wink.
Swiftly, the discussion drifted to lighter subjects such as the lastest Netflix movie, NBA scores and even lasagna recipes. As Josh predicted, Olivia was too much for him. She spoke too loudly, she complained too much and Josh had trouble keeping up with her and her thoughts process. As for Alexis, he wasn’t the arrogant jerk Josh thought he was. Sure, he knew his charms and wasn’t afraid to use them to get what he wanted but he was also very chill. He had no trouble making fun of himself and his smile was nothing if contagious. Yet, what caught Josh’s attention the most was his passion for sports. Unlike many kids their age, he wasn’t doing it for the glory. He wasn’t growing muscles to impress girls or some shit like that. No, lacrosse was his life, just like surfing was for Josh. They needed it to feel complete, to feel alive.
“Are you all done? I wanna go bowling!” Alice said suddenly. “Are you in?”
The three teenagers nodded enthusiastically and quickly made their way to the entertainment wing of the mall. They passed the arcades and entered the bowling alley. The place smelt of soaked leather and frying oil - a disgusting smell that matched perfectly with the old rock n’ roll hits coming out from the speakers and the sleazy green carpet. The little group made its way through the crowd and settled on the red and white sofa in front of the alley number 3. They argued fior a moment about the team composition before finally deciding that it would be more fun to go with a classic “girls vs. boys” game.
Alexis seemed ecstatic about this choice. Josh? Not so much. He had only bowled a few times in his life and he was far from being a good bowler. An idea popped up in his mind: he could always say he’d lost on purpose; “let the girls win”, the premise of chivalry, right? Except it was 2018, girls didn’t buy this shit anymore. They won fair and square or they lost. End of the story. Besides, it was obvious Alexis was in for the win and Josh didn’t want to be the one to let him down.
The girls initiated the game and were now both standing on the edge of the alley, trying to find the right angle and knock down the last three pins that were standing. Alexis was strolling around the back of the room, weighting different balls, trying to find the ones that would fit him best. Josh sighed heavily. He was going to make a fool of himself. WORSE.FUCKING.DAY.EVER….
“Wanna play first?”
Josh started and almost dropped the ball he was holding when he heard Alexis behind him. “No, you first”, he mumbled.
Alexis smiled and headed toward the alley. Of course, he had the perfect position, knew exactly how to throw and got a damn strike on his first try. Josh smiled brightly and high fived his partner of the afternoon but deep inside it was a whole different story. He felt so embarassed. Why couldn’t he run on someone who sucked at bowling just as much as he did?
“Ready to play?” Alexis asked in a conspiratory manner.
Josh quickly glanced at the two girls who were playing ten meters away from them. He looked back at Alexis and the intensity in his eyes made him hesitate. He chocked on his own saliva and finally gave in.
“Yeah 'bout that, I… I don’t know how to play bowling. I mean, I played before but it was like…ages ago and… I’m probably gonna suck at it. Actually, it’s sure. I am gonna make you lose. I’m sorry, I should have…” He stopped short when Alexis’s finger pressed against his lips.
“Chill dude, that’s okay! It’s just a game.” Alexis chuckled.
“Yeah, but if we lose we’re gonna hear about it for years…”
“Probably yeah!” Both boys laughed. “C'mon, I can show you the basis, if you want.” Without waiting for an answer, Alexis grabbed Josh’s hand that was still holding a bowling ball. He repositioned his fingers correctly and rotated his wrist a few times. He then stood behind the blonde surfer and mimed the motion he had to make for his ball to go straight. “See, it’s simple. Just forget about effects and all those stuff and we’ll be okay. Got it?”
Josh couldn’t trust his mouth so he simply nodded. Proximity wasn’t something he was used to, even his friend or with Alice. Even now, with Alexis almost plastered to his back, it felt weird, but a good weird, which was even weirder…
“Good, then go ahead,” Alexis whispered, pushing the blonde slightly toward the alley with a hand on the small of his back.
Josh went obediently. He sighed and tried to remember what Alexis had just shown him. Problem was, the only thing he could remember was the warmth of the other teenager on his back, his arm and his hand. He swallowed hard and shook his head. Thinking was apparently not such a great idea. Instead, he walked forward, threw the ball and prayed. It rolled, drifted slightly to the left before knocking down five pins. Josh didn’t realize the achievement until he felt Alexis hug him from behind. He stumbled a little bit but managed to grab Alexis’s arm to steady himself.
“Sorry,” said Alexis laughing and smiling.
“What for?” the blonde asked, honestly lost. He just got a hit for God’s sake!
“Hugging you, I guess? From what I saw, it’s not really your thing!”
Josh just shrugged because he was right: he didn’t like being hugged -always felt trapped or something. He hadn’t minded Alexis hugging him though. Just caught in the moment, he thought.
They exchanged one last smile and joined the girls on the sofa.
“Wow boys, you could be nicer, you know!”
“It’s just a game and it’s not my fault I have such a good partner !” Alexis chuckled.
Josh was about to do the same but his laugh died in his throat when he saw Alexis looking at him from head to toe. Josh wasn’t the oblivious type - he knew very well that there was nothing innocent about this. His cheeks turned pink and he had to look away, look at Alice to keep his mind off Alexis.
The game went on for a good hour. With each throw, one of the teens would come up with a new challenge that was more outlandish than the last - throwing backwards, singing “Baby” at the top of their lungs when a ball went down the gutter, etc. Josh would never admit it out loud but he had been all wrong. After some tense and awkward introductions, the atmosphere had clearly loosened and the blonde was having a great time. Olivia was still loud and imposing but she was also very funny and then there was Alexis… An easy-going and smiling Alexis that kept invading his personnal space every chance he got and honnestly, Josh didn’t mind one bit.
The hours flew by and soon the four teenagers found themselves in the middle of the parking lot. “I think this is where we say good bye,” Olivia sighed. “My mum drove us to come here so we have to take the bus now.”
“Yeah but it was nice meetin’ you, the two of you,” Alexis said, his eyes never leaving the blonde.
Just like before, Josh couldn’t look away. He was drowning in these green eyes and the words escaped his mouth before he could think about it. “I have my car. I can drive you home… I mean … if you want to.”
Alice jumped at the idea and puller her best friend toward the car before Olivia could even reply. The two boys followed side by side, a small smile on both their faces.
Josh’s car was parked on the second level. Hidden between two enormous black Range Rovers, his jeep seemed even smaller. Josh had bought it at a second-hand car sale but had repaired it carefully. The midnight blue paint was brand new and he had added white and blue Reef seat-covers.
Alice told him to drive to her place first and the blonde obliged. It turned out that Olivia and Alice actually lived only a few blocks from each other.
“How come we don’t go to the same high school then?” Josh asked truly lost. Weirdly, the subject had not come up during their afternoon.
“Because those two,” Alice intervened while pointing to Olivia and Alexis, “go to a private school! We aren’t good enough for them, you see!,” she sighed humorously.
“Wait, you go to Anchor Beach?” Josh blurted.
“Yeah. You know about it?” Alexis questionned, his body now fully turned to look at Josh.
“Sure!” Josh replied excitedy. “I compete against several guys from this school during surf competitions. I beat them everytime,” the blonde added with a big smirk. Alexis rolled his eyes but couldn’t help smiling.
A few minutes later, they stopped in front of Alice’s house and they all went out of the car, finishing their conversation. “ I should go before my mom send the cops after me!”, Olivia said, peeking at her pink watch.
“Me too!”, Alice replied. “I think my mum is actually watching us from behind the curtains! Creepy!” They all laughed. The little brunette surprise her boyfriend with a quick peck and ran to her house. Olivia followed her example. She kissed Alexis and left, leaving the boys alone on the sidewalk.
“You know, I can take the bus from here, I don’t want to bother you.” Alexis said.
"You’re kidding? I’m the one who offered to drive you so get your ass in the car and tell me where I have to go!”
Alexis laughed but did as he was told. He fastened his seat belt and looked at Josh. Unlike their previous exchanges, this time his gaze was soft and shy. “You’re sure it doesn’t bother you?”
“A hundred percent sure,” Josh replied not breaking eye contact. “So, where do you live?”
“Hoster Street, along Malibu beach.”
Josh nodded - he’d surfed this beach long enough to know exactly where it was. Everyone he knew called this street 'Silver Street’ because of the huge metal gate that protected its entrance. Only wealthy businessmen and retired professional sportsmen could afford the mansions that were hidden behind this gate. However, Josh made no comment and started driving in silence.
A few minutes later, he was parked in front of the so-called gate. Alexis unbuckled his seat belt and gathered his things. He was half way out the car before he changed his mind. “Do you want to come in?”
Josh barely hesitated before whispering a small “yes”. Alexis smiled at him for what must have been the hundreth time. Awardly, josh wondered if he’d himself smiled that much this afternoon. He usually didn’t.
They passed several houses, all beautiful and at least four times the size of Josh’s house before stopping in front of Alexis’s. The car was like a blot on the landscape but it didn’t seem to bother Alexis who just headed to the door and looked for his keys. “Comin’ in?”
The inside was even more beautiful than the outside but Josh didn’t have time to look around for Alexis was already guiding him upstairs to his room. It was more modern than the rest of the house. The walls were painted a light grey with small touches of orange and red. Josh was drawn directly to the shelves above Alexis’s desk. They were covered with at least two dozen trophies and medals. They came in all sizes and colors, some bronze, some silver but most of them gold.
“Quite a collection, isn’t it?”, Alexis boasted. Despite his humor, Josh could hear how proud he was of his accomplishments.
“They’re all yours?” The brunette nodded. “Fuck. You started competition in kindengarden or what?” On the other side of the room, Alexis laughed.
“Almost! Got my first trophy when I was six I think, for running.”
“Nice” Josh scanned the rest of the shelf slowly. “What about this one?” has asked, pointing at a frame that contained a small golden medal. He tensed when he felt Alexis getting closer to him, reaching for the reward.
“My first lacrosse victory. I lived in Chicago at that time. We were thirteen and we won the middle school’s championship.”
“Impressive.”
“Coming from the guy who beat Anchor Beach students at surf, that’s something! Thank you, Josh!” he said, clearly teasing the blond.
“Hey! Don’t joke with that! That was a HUGE surf meeting. And I rocked it!”
“Did you?”
“Damn right I did. I’m a fucking ace at surfing. You should see me!”
“I’d love to,” Alexis responded tit for tat. His voice was low and sooo close to Josh’s ear. The blonde couldn’t prevent a shiver from running through his body. He was also pretty sure his cheeks were now a beautiful shade of burning red. He tried to hide it by turning a little but since the other teen was almost plastered against his back and had a couple inches on him, it was rather complicated to escape from his stare…
When the brunette put the frame back on the shelf, Josh thought he was FINALLY going to be free of his embrace and the dying embarrassment he felt. But Alexis didn’t step back. He remained there, his torso barely an inch from Josh’s back, his arms brushing Josh’s. The blonde continued stubbornly to stare at the shelf. One medal, two medals, three medals, four me- …. His brain froze when Alexis nuzzled his neck slowly. He could feel his breath on his skin, warm and tingling. Josh closed his eyes. To ignore the sensation? To feel it even more? He didn’t know. He didn’t care. Right now, it seemed like nothing mattered except for Alexis’s teeth nibbling lightly at the muscle between his shoulder and neck. The blonde bit his lips, hard, to keep any unwanted sounds from coming out. The other teen didn’t seem to agree as he trailed his fingers sensuously down Josh’s spine. Once he reached the bottom, he played with the hem of the surfer’s shirt, never letting his fingers actually touch the warm flesh underneath it. Josh groaned and wriggled, unconsciously seeking skin to skin contact. Alexis beamed. Cocky bastard.
The lacrosse player eventually pressed his palm on Josh’s back and let it wander there. Josh didn’t even try to stop the sigh of pleasure this time. Instead, he reveled in it. The weigh of a heavy hand on his body, the warmth enveloping him, the burn on his neck - his head was buzzing with new sensations. He turned in the brunette’s arms, joining their foreheads and noses.
“You should tell me to stop now!” Alexis whispered, his fingers easily finding and gripping Josh’s hipbones.
Josh’s eyes shot open. For a second, he seemed lost, as if everything that had just happened was a dream. He looked into Alexis’s eyes - they used to be a deep green but were now a magnetic gleaming black. Looking into them, Josh knew why he had agreed to follow the brunette to his room. He pushed Alexis against the opposite wall, cornering him with a hand on each side of his head. “What if I don’t want to?”
Needless to say, Josh was surprised. First of all, by his own words but mostly by his tone. It was strong, commanding and without a hint of hesitation. He felt brave, braver than usual, brave enough to surge forward and connect their lips together.
Alexis’s hands desperately clutched at Josh’s neck, causing a whine to escape his throat. It was quickly replaced by a moan when the brunette’s tongue invaded his mouth. Every flick of tongue, every brush of teeth sent surges of electricity through his body. He could feel Alexis shivering against him, his movements as frantic as his.
A vibration ran through their legs so suddendly it made them part. They were panting, chests moving up and down in rhythm. The vibration occurred again and Josh realized it was coming from his pocket. Clumsily, he grabbed his phone and opened the text he’d just received: “Thnx 4 this afternoon. It meant a lot to me. Love U. Alice”. He blinked twice before looking back at the boy pressed flush against him. When he realized how close they were, he stepped back, nearly tripping on a bag on the floor.
“I.. I have to … go. I’m sorry, I..” Josh mumbled while running shaky hands in his hair. He couldn’t even look at the other boy. Shame had infiltrated his veins in less than a second and was now spreading thoughout his entire body. He mumbled something else, something Alexis couldn’t understand, and left the house.
The brunette threw his head back, leaning against the wall. From the look on Josh’s face, he knew it was a BIG mistake, yet he didn’t regret anything. How could he when his blood was still boiling from Josh’s touch, when his tongue was instinctively licking his lips, chasing after Josh’s taste.