7

I'm so eager to see Milo that I only stop to grab the necklace from my nightstand. I race out of the house, my parents' voices echoing behind me. Nothing could keep me away from him, not now.

It takes less than ten minutes to drive to his house, and before I know it, I'm staring at the familiar painted door, about to knock when it swings open.

Milo pauses when he sees me. He looks like he hasn't slept, purple smudges under his eyes, his hair hanging in damp tendrils around his face.

"Hey," I say softly. "Got room for one more?"

"Depends why you're here."

The sharpness in his voice pierces my chest. "Please? I come in peace."

He leans against the door, the corners of his lips pulled into a frown. After a few moments of silence, he finally inclines his head and steps back into the house. Smiling weakly, I hurry inside before he can change his mind. The door clicks shut, and darkness settles over us like a blanket.

"Mom's not home," Milo says as he leads me upstairs. "She's been staying at a friend's house when I'm not here and Kai has to go home."

"Is she okay?"

"A lot better, yeah. Doctor says she'll be ready to work again next week."

We pause at a familiar door, and I'm struck by a wave of nostalgia. Milo glances at me, his eyes sparkling even in the dark, and I know he feels it too.

His bedroom is exactly like how I remember it, complete with 2000s fantasy movie posters plastered to the walls and overstuffed bookshelves. I trail a hand over his wooden desk, marveling at the organization. His Psychology textbooks are arranged neatly along the wall and what looks like an essay is stacked beside his old laptop, still decorated with peeling The Lord of the Rings and Silica Gel stickers.

"Do you want anything?" Milo asks. "I think we have some banana milk left."

That draws a small smile from me. "Can't believe you remember that."

"It's all you ever drank. Mom never kicked the habit of buying it in bulk."

Another beat of silence. We stare at each other, a steady tension mounting between us like water behind a dam. My fingers ache to hold him, but I push the feeling away. He's not mine to hold, not anymore.

Milo cracks first. "Aren't you meant to be at home?"

"My parents said what they needed to." I clear my throat. "I wanted to see you."

"Yeah, well, here I am."

Taking a deep breath, I step closer slowly, giving him enough time to back away. "And—and I wanted to say sorry. For pushing you away and for all the shit I said at the motel."

"You don't have to apologize, man."

"Yes, I do." We're so close I have to tilt my head up to look him in the eye. "I've been a shitty friend, and you don't deserve that. I was scared and I overreacted instead of talking about it like an adult."

Milo crosses his arms even as his expression softens, the furrow in his brow smoothing out. "You'd think I'd be used to it by now. I shot my shot, Cal, and you don't feel the same way. I get it."

Ouch. Okay, I deserved that.

"No," I say firmly. "I wanted to tell you I like you. A lot."

"But you said—"

"I lied." Five years of bundled-up emotions piled behind my tongue finally burst, spilling like a waterfall. "I've had feelings for you for as long as we've been friends. Longer than that, if you count the weird fixation I've had since eighth grade."

Milo rubs a hand over his face, his fingers shaking slightly. "I thought I was an idiot for having a massive crush on you."

"I'm sorry." Tentatively, I pull his hand away and replace it with mine, stretching up to cup his jaw. "If it's any consolation, my sister thinks I'm obsessed with you."

He eyes me, something dark and intense in his gaze. "And what do you think?"

Fuck, why is this so hard? Sweat prickles at my temples, my stomach clenching with nerves. Finally, I nod.

"Dammit, Cal. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't know how to say it. ‘Hey, dude, I've thought about you non-stop for the better part of a decade and I feel numb when I'm not glued to your side.' Tell me that doesn't freak you out."

There's an expression on his face; part fear, part something else that sparks heat in my lower belly. Then he smiles.

"I've been trying to make you jealous for the last three years," he says. "I don't know what I was thinking. That you'd date me out of spite, maybe. I think we're as bad as each other."

Oh. I let the words wash over me, electricity buzzing under my skin.

"How do I know you're not going to push me away again?" Milo says.

"I thought if we ignored what happened things would go back to normal. It was stupid, not to mention the opposite of what I wanted. But I'm done lying to myself, Milo. I want to be yours."

He makes a noise low in his throat, and it draws me in like a siren's call. Like a docking boat to a lighthouse, I follow it, powerless to resist.

"You're sure about this?" he says.

"As sure as I've ever been about anything. We can take it slow. I want to do it right. With you."

"God, I need you." He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me flush against his chest.

I brush my nose against his, already lost in the feel of him. "Then have me."

When our lips connect, it feels like coming home. Milo groans into my mouth, and the sound pools arousal in my gut. A sharp, insistent tongue licks over my gums, dips behind the back of my teeth.

Blistering heat engulfs me and my lungs burn with the effort of keeping my lips on his, but I can't bring myself to pull away. Milo detaches our mouths, drawing a low whine from me.

"So dramatic," he says, swallowing down my retort with another searing kiss. He tugs on my tee shirt. "Off."

We peel off our clothes in record time until I'm naked and shivering, reaching for him blindly. He surrounds me instantly, his skin hot against mine. Large hands guide me onto his childhood bed with a tenderness that makes my heart clench. I've never felt this way about anyone before.

"Callum. Baby." He groans against my skin. "You're gorgeous. I can't believe this is real."

"We've had sex in the motel."

"It wasn't like this."

I know what he means. This feels like walking on clouds, the suppressed emotions of the past few years rushing in and heightening the pleasure, the want. I let my legs fall open, pulling Milo between them.

"You don't know how long I've wanted this," I say, wrapping my arms around his shoulders.

He responds with a slow roll of his hips, dragging his large cock against mine, the slide deliciously paved by the slick dripping from me. I moan, feeling feverish with want.

"What do you need, Cal?"

"I want you inside me. Please. Please , I—

Milo kisses me one last time before he rummages around in his nightstand, producing a familiar bottle of lube and a shiny condom. I can almost hear the hum of a rickety air conditioner, feel the sweltering heat, taste sweat and sex in the humid air.

A slick finger brushing over my hole dispels those thoughts like a whisper on a breeze. Milo dips down and covers one of my nipples with his mouth, pushing the finger slowly inside. I squirm against the unfamiliar intrusion. It's so full already.

"Holy shit," I say, panting. "That—"

"Hurts?"

I shake my head. "Feels weird, but good."

"We'll take it slow. Breathe for me. That's it, nice and easy."

Milo takes his time preparing me and when he finally thinks I'm ready, he wraps a hand around his shaft. It's the most erotic thing I've ever seen.

I spread my legs wider and am rewarded by Milo's mouth covering mine. He pulls away to slip on the condom, hissing a little.

He caresses my thigh gently. "You should turn around. For your first time, to make it easier."

"No. I want to see you." I mean for it to come out defiant, but my voice sounds too breathy, too desperate.

It's the right thing to say, because Milo groans long and low.

"You drive me crazy." He cups the back of my knee and drags my leg up around his hip, aligning himself at my entrance. "Ready?"

" Yes ."

Milo slips inside and the burn is all-consuming, overwhelming, but it feels so good I can't breathe. He rocks his hips in small thrusts, then bends and licks a path from my ear to my jaw. Good. I want him to mark every inch of me.

I feel mad with this obsession, driven to insane heights that aren't fair to ask of anyone. But Milo's dealt with me for years and he hasn't complained. He said he's obsessed with me, too.

The thought relaxes me, and when Milo buries fully inside, I stop thinking at all.

"Okay?" he says.

I let out a strained laugh. "Fishing for compliments?"

"Callum, please."

"Kidding. It's more than okay." I lick my lips. "You feel amazing."

He starts slow, moving at an agonizing pace but soon the burn dies away, leaving an overwhelming sense of pleasure. Wrapping my legs around his waist, I throw my head against the pillows, rocking with each thrust.

"Callum." Milo groans, low and rumbling. "You're perfect. Everything about you is perfect."

I keen at the praise, so lost in his words that I don't notice him gripping the backs of my shoulders until he pulls me up and into his lap. The new position shifts the angle of his hips and his cock slides deeper, rocking against something, a little bundle of nerves, and I cry out at the feeling.

"Touch yourself for me, baby."

Sliding my hand between us, I stroke my cock until my body seizes up and the pleasure crescendos, coming into my fist. White-hot bliss numbs my senses and all I can feel is him.

Milo lowers me gently onto the bed. I go easily, the energy sapped from my muscles, and tremble against him as he fucks me through the best orgasm of my life. He follows soon after, slamming his hips against mine and burying deep inside me with a soft groan into my ear. God, that's hot.

Breathing deeply, he discards the condom before collapsing beside me, sweat clinging to his skin. I can't help but stare at him, like a moth drawn to a flame.

It's my turn to ask. "Good?"

"More than good." His expression turns serious. "I really like you, Cal. I want this to be serious."

"Me too," I say, tugging him closer. "Like I said, I'm more than a little obsessed with you. I want to be with you for as long as you'll have me."

His answering smile is soft and full of awe. Like he can't believe we're finally here. He curls his arms around me and draws me against his chest.

I could stay like this forever.

*

"I have something to give you."

Milo turns towards me, eyebrow raised. He's shirtless, a beer can in hand, his hair mussed from sex. The sight makes me feel warm and giddy.

It's almost midnight and quiet blankets the room, broken only by the sounds of our breaths. The bedroom window is open, and a soft breeze ruffles the curtains, shifting the papers on his desk. It feels like that moment by the pool at the motel, when the night had stretched around us, cutting us off from the rest of the world.

Me and him alone, exactly where I want to be.

"Is that why you're being so secretive?" he says.

"Maybe."

Hiding the necklace in my fist, I climb onto the bed and kneel between his legs.

Milo grins. "Oh, I like this."

"Shut up." My stomach feels like it's tied up in knots, but it's mingled with excitement. Taking a deep breath, I pat his bare thigh. "Sit, please."

Sighing, he does as he's told and sits up, bending his knees around my waist. I lick my lips and unfurl my fingers, revealing the silver chain and magpie pendant. Milo whistles and cups my hand, eyes sparkling.

"You got this for me?"

I shrug. "We can return it if it's shit. It just... it reminded me of you."

"Help me put it on."

He twists around, bending slightly so I can reach and clasp the chain around his neck before he faces me again and presses a sweet kiss to my lips.

"I knew you had a heart behind that cold, rugged exterior," he says, rubbing his nose along my cheek. "Can't believe you've been listening to my inane bird ramblings this whole time."

"I like listening to you."

He bundles me in a bear hug and tugs us back onto the bed, tangling our limbs together. My phone buzzes on the nightstand and the screen lights up, showing a text from Spencer.

"You should answer that."

"Later." I burrow into Milo's neck, nosing the underside of his jaw. "It's only Spencer."

"Let me guess, he's complaining about Luke."

"What else? Think I saw the word ‘dipshit' in there at least three times."

Milo grins, stroking my back. "One day they'll realize they're meant for each other."

"Like us?"

"Yeah. Like us." He drapes a leg over mine and sighs, hot breath ghosting over my ear. "You're the best decision I ever made."

"Thank you for sitting with me on that dirty bathroom floor."

"It was worth the ache in my ass for the next few days."

I laugh, warmth curling in my chest. Not for the first time tonight, a sense of gratitude washes over me. If the pickup hadn't broken down when it did, I'd still be hiding, content to take my feelings about Milo to the grave. I would have lost him. That's what scares me the most.

But we made it.

I press a kiss to his collarbone, drinking in his content sigh. My heart feels so full it could burst. Dating my best friend wasn't such a bad idea, after all.

The End.