Microsoft Word - Lily Grace - Forces of Nature.rtf

- 2 -

Drew took another sip of his latte and stared at the screen of his laptop,

pleased  with  the  progress  he'd  made  on  his  thesis.  Sometimes  a  change  of
scenery  was  all  that  was  needed  to  make  the  work  seem  easier.  That,  and  a
strong cup of caffeine. The small café was buzzing with activity, and though he
often liked simple peace and quiet when he worked, occasionally he needed to
get out of his apartment, away from the stacks of textbooks and journal articles,
in order to kick start his brain.

It was Evan who had suggested that he try writing in the coffee shop. At

first, he'd been dubious. Why would moving to a public location help his theory
of using new ways to measure atmospheric pressure to more accurately predict
weather systems come to fruition more easily? But, like all of Evan's ideas, it
had been spot on. Lately he'd found himself more and more frequently sitting at
his favorite table, sipping his favorite caffeinated beverage, muscling his thesis
to completion.

He and Evan were best friends and had met in college. Or, more to the point,

Evan had burst into his life like a bolt of lightening, electrifying him to his core.
Drew  remembered  it  like  it  was  yesterday,  even  though  he  was  now  nearing
completion of his PhD in physics, and Evan was trying to make it as an actor.
Drew had been sitting in the large lecture hall freshman year, waiting for class
to  begin.  Introduction  to  Physics  had  been  a  large  class,  over  a  hundred
students.  Drew  had  placed  himself  somewhere  in  the  middle  of  the  lecture
theater, somewhere he could blend in. He'd never been a fan of standing out. It
wasn't  that  he  went  through  life  hiding,  but  he  never  did  anything  to  call
attention to himself. Even though he was relatively tall, a little over six feet, he
had  non-descript  medium  brown  hair,  and  a  lean-to-average  build.  He  wasn't
the kind of guy who got noticed a lot. That's what made that first day of class so
surprising. Drew was noticed by him.

Evan had breezed into the lecture hall thirty seconds before class was

supposed to start. The professor had made his way to the podium and was busy
rustling his  lecture notes, getting ready  to begin. But  Evan had walked in  like
he owned  the place.  Not  in an arrogant or  conceited way, but in  a  way  which
exuded some self-confidence on a higher level, almost as if he just didn't notice
that almost the entire class had turned to look at the slight boy, with long, jet-
black hair, wearing jeans that looked painted on, a tight purple shirt, and a light,
silvery scarf around his neck, sashaying into the room.

Drew was one of the people staring. Sure, the clothes were hard to miss, but

it  wasn't  the  clothes  that  had  held  his  attention.  It  was  the  face.  Evan  had
delicate,  almost  elfin  features,  made  paler  by  the  frame  of  black  hair  and  his
eyes  were  the most piercing  ice blue  Drew had  ever seen. So piercing that  he
had been able to make them out even sitting halfway back in the room. It was
then  that  Drew  realized  those  eyes  were  fixed  directly  on  him.  It  was  also  in
that moment that he had to remind himself to breathe.

Drew had watched as the blue eyes had made their way closer to him, now

kept company by a brilliant smile on that beautiful face, until the boy was
standing in front of the empty seat next to him.

"Anyone sitting here?"
He had already sat down, smile never leaving his face, and had begun to dig

out a notebook and pen from his bag before Drew had even been able to grunt

- 3 -

out a noise that resembled a 'no'.

A small hand was extended. "Hi. I'm Evan."
"Drew." He somehow found his voice as he shook the almost fragile-looking

hand, afraid he might bruise it if he gripped too hard, and attempted to will his
eyes to stop bugging out of his head.

"Lovely to meet you. I certainly hope you know more about physics than I

do. Science, math, and I have always have had something resembling a tortured
relationship. The only reason I'm in this class is to get my science requirement
out of the way. I'm going to major in theater. I want to be an actor. But
requirements are requirements and, trust me, I whined enough to the nice lady
in the registrar's office and apparently they are completely non-negotiable."

Drew couldn't do anything but sit in stunned silence as Evan continued his

steady stream of chatter, voice practically lilting, never seeming to come up for
air, as he unwound the scarf from around this neck, and smoothed his hair with
his fingers.

"So, I know we just met, but if you in any way resemble a physics genius,

you are going to become my new best friend." Evan beamed at him, and Drew's
entire world lit up.

"I want to major in physics, actually," he heard himself say, never happier to

be a complete nerd who loved physics.

"Oh, my hero!" Evan proceeded to give his arm a squeeze, which produced

thunderbolts throughout his entire body. "I just knew you were the right person
to sit next to. I just knew."

In that moment, Drew wouldn't have cared if Evan had only wanted him for

his knowledge of physics, but something about the way Evan had said it made
Drew feel special, which wasn't something he felt very often.

Halfway through the class, Drew had his head bent over his page of notes,

forcing himself  to concentrate  on  the  lecture  instead of  the boy sitting next  to
him.  It  became  harder  when  he  felt  Evan's  shoulder  press  against  his  as  he
leaned  over  and began  to write  in the margin of  his  notebook. The words  'Do
you think that's the prof's real hair, or a toupee?' emerged in purple ink.

Even when Drew wasn't helping him with his physics homework, Evan

always found excuses to stop by his dorm room. They would just hang out, or
go  out  for  coffee,  or  sometimes  Drew  would  let  Evan  drag  him  to  the  frat
parties  he  detested  so  much.  Evan  would  even  act  out  entire  plays  for  him,
playing  all  the  parts  himself,  until  he  would  flop  onto  the  floor,  breathless,
laughing too hard to go on.

After the first exam of the semester had been passed back, Drew had been

unconcerned with his own perfect score and had waited with baited breath,
watching Evan's face scanning his own exam.

"A 'B', I got a 'B'!" Evan had thrown his arms around Drew’s neck and

squeezed tightly. "And it's all because of you! What would I do without you?
Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Then Drew felt plush lips pressed against his cheek. That's when he knew he

was completely in love with Evan.

They were complete opposites in almost everything. Yet, they seemed to go

- 4 -

together  in  a  way  that  made  perfect sense,  even  if  it  defied  all  types of  logic.
Drew stopped trying to figure it out after the first few weeks of them knowing
each other. Unlike his studies in physics, it just didn't seem important to try to
understand  the  rationale  behind  it.  Evan  wanted  to spend  his  time  with  Drew,
and that was enough.

Drew had always been insanely studious. So, it didn't matter that he was

already acing his classes by the time final exams rolled around. He still found
himself sequestered away in the library studying on a Saturday night. That's
when Evan appeared at the side of his study cubicle, hands on hips, looking like
he meant business.

"No more studying. You don't need to. I promise you will get 'A's in all your

classes! But, more importantly, it's Saturday night. We are going to go have
some fun!"

Drew wasn't given time to argue. His things had been shoved into his bag

and  Evan  had  grabbed  his  hand  and  quite  literally  dragged  him  out  of  the
library.  They  had  gone  back  to  Evan's  room  and  drunk  copious  amounts  of
vodka, watched silly movies, and laughed until they cried. Drew had never had
a more fun night and he'd still gotten stellar marks on all his final exams. That
was when he knew he needed Evan.

However, Evan always had a string of boyfriends, all completely different

from  Drew  in  both  looks  and  demeanor.  Near  the  end  of  college,  Drew  had
even  gotten  a  boyfriend  of  his  own.  Anthony  had  seemed  to  be  a  practical
choice  in  a  boyfriend.  They  were  both  interested  in  physics  and  completely
analytical in how they viewed the world. Anthony had also helped Drew ignore
what  his  heart  truly  desired.  The  relationship  had  run  its  course,  and  Drew
hadn't  been  particularly  upset  when  it  had  ended.  It  just  gave  him  that  much
more time to spend with Evan. But he  always  kept his unrequited  love locked
away. Though as best friends they might have shared everything else, what he
felt for Evan had always been something he had been far too terrified to voice.
The thought of losing Evan's friendship was too horrifying to imagine.

***

Drew's reminiscing was brought to a halt when there was a clap of thunder

outside. The irony was not lost on him that he had been too busy writing about
the  physics  of  severe  weather  systems  to  have  noticed  the  darkening  sky  and
harsh  winds  picking  up  outside.  He  hurriedly  put  his  laptop  in  his  bag  and
tugged on  his  coat,  hoping he'd be  able to  beat the rain  home.  He  knew Evan
would  have  had  a  clever  quip  about  a  storm  emerging  because  he  had  been
thinking too hard about atmospheric pressure.

Evan. Shit. Drew looked at his watch. Double shit. He had completely lost

track of time. Evan was supposed to drop by his place after his audition for an
off-off- off Broadway play. It was 3:34. Evan had said he would be by at 3:30.
Drew glanced up again at the window and grimaced as the first drops of rain
began to fall. Evan would be standing outside his building, getting soaked. And
Evan hated storms. Drew bolted from the café and began to jog down the street.
At least he lived close by.

Five minutes later, the sky had really opened up as he skidded to a stop in

- 5 -

front of his door and found a completely soaked and pissed off Evan huddling
under the poor excuse for eaves the building afforded, punching at the buttons
on his phone. No doubt about to call him.

"Fuck you!" Evan's teeth chattered. His black hair, which was shorter now,

and curved stylishly in layers near his jawbone, curled and matted against his
face. "Where have you been? I'm wet and freezing and I just saw a bolt of
lightening!"

"Shit, I'm so sorry, Ev." Drew dug out his keys and hustled them inside. "I

got caught up with work and completely lost track of time. My bad."

The silent treatment he received as they squelched their way up the three

flights  of  stairs  confirmed  for  Drew  that  he  was  in  no  way  forgiven  for  his
transgression.  After  they  had both  tumbled  in  the  front  door  of  his  apartment,
Drew took a moment to assess the situation. They were both completely soaked
from head to  toe. They needed to  get warm  and  then  get changed before  they
both caught their death.

Evan fumbled with his thin, cotton jacket, pealing it off his frame and

dropping it on the floor. He still looked completely pissed off, and he shivered
violently. Drew tried not to think about how sexy he looked with water droplets
running down his face and his black T-shirt clinging to his chest, or how
adorable he always looked when he pouted.

"Ev? Why don't you go take a hot shower and I'll find you something warm

to wear. Then I'll fix us something hot to drink, okay?"

  "What about you?"
  "Huh?"
  "You'll need a hot shower, too. I mean, I'm still completely mad at you and

everything, but that doesn't mean I want you to die of pneumonia." He gave a
huff and crossed his arms over his chest, not able to stop his constant shivering.

Drew had to smile. Evan had always had a bit of a temper, but they had

always been virtually incapable of staying mad at each other for very long. He
felt the side of his mouth quirk up into a half smile.

"Thanks for being so concerned about my well-being," he replied dryly.

"Fine. You shower first. Then I will."

He found he was almost shaking uncontrollably now from the cold and wet.

He struggled out of his own jacket and started to make his way toward his
bedroom to find the warmest possible clothes for the both of them.

Evan sighed and rolled his eyes.
"This is just silly. You're just as cold as I am." He yanked off his sodden T-

shirt and reached for Drew's hand. "We'll just hop in the shower together. No
biggie. We both need to get warm before the hypothermia sets in."

"Uh." Drew was rendered speechless for moment as he took in the half-

naked form in front of him. The idea of both of them naked in his small shower
cubicle was enough to cause his brain to short circuit.

Evan rolled his eyes again. "Come on. We've been best friends for eight

years. This really isn't a big deal."

Perhaps it wasn't a big deal for Evan, he'd always been so comfortable with

his body, but for Drew it was a very big deal. Even though he was frozen to the
bone, he was pretty sure his nether regions wouldn't behave themselves if he
had to endure the sweet torture of being naked in the shower with Evan, even if

- 6 -

it was for completely innocent purposes.

He'd seen Evan in various states of undress. It hadn't taken Drew very long,

once  they'd  become  friends,  to  understand  that  Evan  felt  just  as  comfortable
naked  as  he  did  with  clothes  on.  He'd  always  changed  in  front  of  Drew  or
walked  around  in  nothing  but  a  towel.  Calling  Evan's  body  perfection  didn't
quite cover it.

No. There was no way Drew could get in the shower with him.
"Um, no. I'll be fine. You go. I'll... um, I'm just going to find you some

clothes." Drew stumbled over his words as he made his way toward his
bedroom. "You know where the towels are."

As he walked quickly away, he couldn't help but notice the flash of hurt that

crossed Evan's face.

Drew took deep breathes and tried not to think too hard about Evan naked

under hot streams of water as he rummaged in his closet for clothes. Everything
would  be  huge  on  Evan,  but  at  least  he  would be  warm.  Drew  pulled  out his
warmest  pair  of  sweatpants,  a  polar  fleece  hooded  sweatshirt  and  a  pair  of
woolen  socks  and  laid  them  out  on  his  bed.  He  made  his  way  toward  the
kitchen,  still  in  drenched  clothes,  and  put  some  water  on  to  boil.  He  held  his
hands  over  the  burner  for  a  few  seconds,  rubbing  them  together,  trying  to  get
some feeling back into his  fingers, before placing  the  kettle over  it.  Just as he
walked back into the living room Evan emerged from the bathroom in nothing
but a towel.

  "Feel better?"
  Evan gave a weak smile. "A little."
  "I put some clothes out for you in my room." He walked ahead of Evan, back

into the bedroom to grab some fresh clothes for himself. "And I put the kettle
on, so there should be hot water in a few minutes. You know where the cocoa
is, so help yourself."

Evan gave a nod, acknowledging that he heard, as he reached for the clothes

that had been laid out for him. Drew quickly exited the room with an armful of
clothes for himself, unsure if his hurry was to get into the shower, or to get out
of the room before Evan pulled the towel away from his body.

The hot water felt wonderful against his freezing skin, but he didn't dally too

long.  He  wanted  to  make  sure  Evan  was  getting warm  and  that  he had  found
everything he needed in the kitchen. It was Drew's fault, after all, that Evan had
been  caught  out  in  the  rain.  He  had  always  been  over-protective  of  Evan.
Probably because he thought he might die if anything happened to his friend.

When Drew emerged from the bathroom in warm sleep pants and a

sweatshirt from college, he found two mugs of cocoa sitting on the coffee table
in the living room and Evan curled up on the couch, wrapped up in the quilt
from his bed. Evan looked up when he entered the room.

"Hope you don't mind I commandeered your comforter."
His elfin smirk was back, and he had made Drew a hot beverage, too. His

anger must be waning. It was then that Drew noticed the notebook Evan was
flipping through. His living room was often a dumping ground for his research
materials for his thesis, but it seemed unlikely that Evan would willingly pick-
up anything having to do with physics.

"I can't believe you kept this." A wistful smile graced Evan's face as he

- 7 -

flipped another page.

Drew cocked his head to the side and moved to sit beside Evan, trying to

figure out what was holding his friend's attention. When he got a good look at
what Evan held in his hands Drew  silently  sucked in  his breath.  Of  course he
had kept it. It was his notebook from freshman year physics. He hadn't meant to
leave  it  out.  It  had  been  in  a  pile  of  old  journal  articles  he  had  been  going
through  and he  hadn't  been  able  to  stop  himself  from  reminiscing.  Each  page
held written conversations between the two of them in the margins. Sometimes
they  had  written  about  the  senile  professor,  other  times  they  had  conversed
about  plans  for  the  weekend,  and  sometimes  they  had  just  written  silly  little
nothings  to  pass  the  time.  That  notebook  contained  a  semester's  worth  of
memories with Evan. That notebook was the beginning of their friendship.

"Yeah, well, I pretty much keep everything." He gave off a nervous chuckle.

"I found it last week when I was digging through some old school stuff."

Evan smiled at him and glanced down one more time at the pages in front of

him, before carefully tossing the notebook aside. He curled himself further into
the corner of the sofa, and then lifted up the edge of the comforter, inviting
Drew beneath its warmth.

"Thanks." He pulled the comforter over his lap and up around his chest.

"And thanks for the cocoa." He reached forward and picked up the mug in front
of him. The warmth seeping into his hands felt good.

  "You're welcome." Evan reached for his own mug and took a sip.
  "How are you feeling? Warm?"
  "Eh,  getting  there  I  suppose.  Still  a  little  cold."  Evan  wrapped  his  hands

more tightly around his mug.

Drew wound an arm around Evan and rubbed his hand up and down Evan's

arm. Evan leaned in to his touch. Evan had always been a tactile being. In the
beginning, Drew had often been caught off guard by Evan's hugs and kisses on
the  cheek,  but  it  soon  became  a  pattern  between  the  two  of  them,  and  even
though  it  had  never  gone  any  farther,  they  had  never  shied  away  from  being
close. It felt good. Comfortable.

"I'm really, really sorry." Drew felt the need to reemphasize.
"S'okay. At least you got wet, too." Evan snickered up at him. "And I'm

sorry I was bitchy about it. You know how I feel about thunderstorms."

"I know." Drew gave his shoulder a squeeze and then smiled. "You know

what would really warm us up?"

  "What?"
  "If our cocoa was spiked."
  Evan  laughed  his  infectious,  almost  dirty  sounding  laugh.  "You  know  I'll

never say no to a little alcohol."

Drew began to move out from beneath the comforter.
"No, you stay. I'll get it. I know where you keep it. Amaretto?" Evan always

knew exactly what he was thinking.

"Sounds perfect. Thanks, Ev."
Evan gave him a smile and struggled up off the sofa and out of his comforter

cocoon.

"Hang on, wait a sec."
Drew got up and moved to where Evan was standing in the middle of the

- 8 -

room.

"I've already been responsible for you getting drenched. I'm not going to be

responsible for you tripping and falling on your face." He nodded in the
direction of the extra foot of sweatpants Evan was standing on.

He smirked as he got on his knees and began to roll up the bottom of Evan's

pants. Evan gave a long-suffering sigh, but Drew saw the twitch of his lips. He
was trying so hard not to laugh. Drew smiled softly and applied the same
treatment to the other pant leg.

"Thanks, Mom."
They shared a grin before Evan continued on his way to the kitchen. After

adding a liberal dose to each mug, Evan snuggled back under the comforter and
took a sip.

  "Ahh. Now, that really hits the spot." He shot Drew a cheeky grin.
  "Alcoholic." Drew smirked into this own mug.
  "Screw you!" Evan's foot shoved into the side of his leg, almost making him

spill his drink.

"Hey, watch it!" He laughed.
They spent several minutes in amicable silence, sipping at their drinks,

letting the final chills from earlier escape their bodies, before Drew broke the
silence.

"So, how was your audition?"
Evan's face lit up. "It went really well! I mean, you never know until the cast

list is up, but I felt really good about it."

"That's awesome! When will you know anything?"
"They said in about a week. The director seems like a nice guy and seemed

to like the scene I read for, so fingers crossed."

"Well, you know I'll be there front row center."
"Thanks." Evan smiled at him over the top of his mug. "I have a good feeling

about this one because the part I read for is described as a 'slight man with
almost feminine features.'" Evan made air quotes with his free hand.

"Well, that sounds very promising."
Drew knew that Evan had to withstand a lot of frustration when it came to

getting good parts due to his looks. He barely made it above five foot six and he
did  have  very  feminine  features.  Directors  had  told  him  in  the  past  that  he
lacked  the  required  stature  and  masculinity  needed  for  certain  roles.  In  the
acting  world,  Evan's  beauty  was often his curse,  but Drew  knew  Evan was  an
amazing  actor.  Perhaps  he  was  biased,  but  he  never  ceased  to  be  floored  by
Evan's  performances.  The  way  he  was  able  to  throw  himself  into  a  role,
completely embodying the character he was playing, quite literally took Drew's
breath  away.  It  was  one  of  the  things  he  admired  the  most  about  Evan.  Evan
was  so  artistic,  creative  and  imaginative,  whereas  Drew  was  completely
analytic and scientific in all that he did. Evan always helped him see things in a
different  way.  Maybe  that  was  why  they  worked  so  well  together.  They
balanced each other out.

Evan turned to look out the large window before standing up and walking

toward it, all but pressing his face to the glass. The rain was lashing against the
pane. And, though it was hard to see past the torrents of water coming down,
trees were swaying violently in the distance. Drew stood after a moment and

- 9 -

walked over.

  "It's really bad, huh?"
  Evan jumped a little at the sound of his voice. "Yeah."
  Evan had always been odd about storms. Drew knew they terrified him. He

had been witness to Evan diving into bed and pulling the covers over his head
on multiple occasions during thunderstorms. But they seemed to fascinate him
as much as they scared him. Drew had never quite known why.

  "You never told me why storms scare you so much."
  Still staring out the window, Evan gave off a thoughtful sigh.
  "I wish I had a good explanation. It's not like I have some traumatizing tale

from my past about getting caught in one or something. I guess they were just
always  so  mysterious  to  me. These  crazy  forces  of  nature smiting  the  world."
He chuckled softly.  "It's  like Mother  Nature  got pissed off  and  is taking  it out
on us."

Drew had to laugh at that. Evan always did have a way of putting things.
"Well, thunderstorms basically occur when a warm, moist air front collides

with a cold air front and, if there is enough instability in the atmosphere, then
lightning and thunder can be present..."

"You and your physics!" Evan cut him off. "You're going to take all the

mystery out of it!"

"Hey, I was only trying to help! I thought if you understood them better,

maybe you wouldn't be such a baby about them." He poked Evan playfully in
the back.

"I'm not a baby about them! Okay, maybe I'm a little bit of a baby." He

turned his head to throw Drew a conceding look. "But that doesn't mean I want
to  know  the  science  behind  how  they  form.  I  know  it's  your  life's  work  and
everything." Drew could feel Evan smirking.  "But  I prefer to think of a pissed
off Mother Nature instead."

At that moment, there was a huge crash of thunder that sent Evan reeling

back into Drew, giving off a very un-masculine squeaking noise in the process.

Drew laughed and steadied Evan with his arms going around his friend's

waist.

"Well, something must have really pissed her off."
His arms stayed firmly around Evan, and he hoped it could be passed off as

nothing more than a comforting gesture. Since Evan remained leaning against
him, he decided to revel in the closeness and not move an inch. He felt Evan
breathe in and out against his chest.

  "You okay?" he murmured.
  "Yeah. Thanks."
  They  stayed  like  that  for  another  moment,  staring  out  at  the  darkened  sky

and the havoc being wreaked on the world below them. When Evan opened his
mouth again, Drew was wholly unprepared for what he heard.

"Do you think I'm ugly?"
"What?" His eyes bugged out of his head. Since Evan was facing forward,

Drew had no chance to read his face. "Of course not! Why would you think
that?"

Evan fidgeted in his arms, obviously agitated. "Earlier, when I said we

should just jump in the shower together. You couldn't run away fast enough."

- 10 -

"I... I just..." He couldn't even think straight. He couldn't possibly tell Evan

the real reason. "It had nothing to do with how you look. I mean... I just... I took
my shower right after you... I don't..."

"Whatever. It's fine." Evan pushed his arms away and walked toward the

kitchen, never turning to look at Drew.

Drew stood rooted in place, completely in shock, before he forced his body

into  motion  and  followed  Evan.  When  he  walked  into  the  kitchen,  he  found
Evan  facing  away  from  him,  arms  gripping the  countertop  with  his  head  bent
down, wavy strands of his almost-dried hair hanging into his face.

"Ev?" Drew walked carefully up behind him. "Please, talk to me. What's

wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm just being stupid. Don't mind me." He gave off a small laugh,

but Drew could hear it was strained.

"No, you're not okay. You're obviously upset. Was it really the shower thing,

or is it something else?"

He wanted to reach out and turn Evan around. Evan's face was an open book,

his emotions always written in his eyes. But Drew decided against it and gave
him his space. Drew's heart thumped in his chest; he didn’t have a clue what
was going on.

"Oh, fuck it. I can't do this anymore." Evan turned suddenly, lifting his head

up to look at Drew.

Drew sucked in his breath when he saw tears threatening to escape Evan's

bright blue eyes.

"I thought that maybe I just wasn't your type, that you didn't think I was

attractive, and that's why we've only ever been just friends. And I guess the
shower thing basically confirmed that for me."

"Huh?" Drew tried to process what he was hearing, but his brain just didn't

compute.

Evan rolled his eyes and angrily swiped at them with his hand. "We've been

best friends for eight years. I thought maybe one day..." He looked everywhere
but directly at Drew. "Well, doesn't matter now. I was wrong. It's okay. I'm
just... I’m just gonna go."

"Wait!" Drew got his brain working again and grabbed Evan's arm before

Evan had time to bolt past him. Seeing his usually self-assured and confident
best friend floundering was disconcerting. "You wanted to be more than
friends? All this time?"

Evan looked embarrassed and terrified and like he might flee the scene at

any moment, but Drew kept a hand on his arm to make sure that didn't happen.
This was too important.

"Well... yes." Evan spoke in almost a whisper, but the sound of the words

thundered in Drew's ears.

"Why?" He couldn't help himself. It was the first thing that tumbled from his

mouth.

Evan rolled his eyes again. "For someone who's so smart, you're pretty

stupid  sometimes."  He  took  a  deep  breath  and  locked  eyes  with  Drew.  "Who
else  would  have  sat  beside  me  for  hours  on  end  freshman  year,  explaining
physics principles to me a thousand times before I understood them? Who else
would  promise  to  be  front  row  center  for  every  play  I've  ever  been  in  and

- 11 -

actually meant it? Who the hell would put up with me when I'm terrified of a
thunderstorm and not laugh their ass off? No one else but you."

If there had been a feather, Drew could have been knocked over with it. He

thought he had been standing out on a limb all by himself. As it turned out, he
had had company. It was almost too much to process. Instead of returning
Evan's sentiments, Drew's stupid mouth continued to have a mind of its own.

"Why did you sit next me the first day of class? Why did you choose me?"

He stared at Evan, trying to tell himself that this was real.

"It was your eyes. I could tell just by looking at you that you were going to

be the most brilliant person to ever come into my life. It was like..." He looked
up at the ceiling, as if searching for the right words. "If I could be near you,
then maybe I could be amazing too."

Drew swallowed hard. "You could tell all that just by looking at me from

across a room?"

Evan smiled gently. "You know I always pride myself on being able to read

people. And I wasn't wrong about you. Your big, brown eyes told the truth."

All logic and rational thought dissipated from his brain. Drew brought his

hand up and cupped Evan's jaw, his thumb brushing against Evan's bottom lip.
Evan sucked in his breath at the touch.

"Do you have any idea how long I've wanted you?" Drew looked deep into

Evan's eyes, making sure his words were registering. "That's why I couldn't
shower with you. I was petrified it would become all too obvious how I felt
about you. You are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

  This time, when Evan sucked in his breath, it was audible.
  "Will you do me a favor?" Evan's voice was trembling.
  "What's that?" Drew's voice was unsteady as well.  It was all so surreal. His

fantasy was coming true.

"Shut up and kiss me."
He had to laugh as he held Evan's face with both his hands. He leaned down,

pausing for a split second to relish the moment, before pressing his lips against
Evan's. Electric shocks radiated throughout his body. In that soft, almost chaste
press of lips, he knew with absolute certainty this was the most perfect pair of
lips he could ever kiss.

Drew pulled back and their eyes met. Need and want radiated between them.

Then Evan's arms were around his neck, their bodies were pressed together, and
Evan's plush,  full  lips attached once more  to his. Evan's lips  parted  and  Drew
felt  Evan's  tongue  tentatively  tracing  his  bottom  lip.  He  wrapped  his  arms
tighter around Evan and opened up to the tongue that was so eagerly in pursuit
of  his  own.  He  couldn't  help  but  match  Evan's  moan  as  their  tongues  twined
together, caressing desperately. Talking was no longer necessary. Drew  pulled
Evan  away  from  the  counter  and  began  to  move  them  in  the  direction  of  his
bedroom as their mouths repeatedly crashed together.

Once inside Drew's bedroom, Evan disentangled himself and stepped back,

his eyes focused intently on Drew, and began to silently disrobe. First his chest
came into view as the heavy polar fleece became a puddle on the floor. Then his
thumbs hooked into his waistband and pants and underwear were pushed down
simultaneously. Evan's eyes never left Drew's, not even when he reached down
to yank off his woolen socks.

- 12 -

Drew's heart rate increased to the point of almost bursting from his chest as

he stared at Evan in all his glory, fully naked. Drew took in his pale, smooth,
slender form, his jutting hipbones, and his already fully-erect cock lying flat
against his abdomen. In Drew's eyes, Evan was perfection incarnate.

"You are so beautiful."
Drew continued to stare, knowing he could never get tired of looking at

Evan. The fact that his best friend and soon-to-be lover was standing in front of
him naked, and wanting him, boggled his mind.

Evan closed his eyes and smiled. "Now you."
Drew grinned and began to frantically tear at his own clothing, suddenly

feeling like  a  teenager  about to  get  laid for the first  time, desperate and horny
and wanting to do everything all at once with Evan. As soon as his last article
of clothing was removed, it was as if a dam burst and he and Evan were pressed
tightly  together.  Their  mouths  devoured  each  other  as  their  hands  frantically
explored every inch of skin within reach. They stumbled backward toward the
bed  and  Drew  grasped  Evan  around  the  waist  to  hoist  him  up  onto  it  before
crawling over him and covering Evan's body with his own.

The moans and cries echoing from Evan's mouth only increased Drew's

passion  as  he  pressed  his  hips  against  Evan's.  Their  arousals  rubbed  together
and  created  delicious  friction.  Drew  couldn't  get  enough.  His  hands  roamed
over  Evan's  body  and his  lips  connected  with  Evan's neck  and  collarbone.  He
needed to taste Evan everywhere. His mouth moved lower, nibbling and licking
at  Evan's  tiny  pink  nipples,  making  Evan  arch  and  writhe beneath  him.  Drew
continued  to  move  lower,  tracing  a  path  with  his  tongue  over  the  taught
stomach. He looked up to lock eyes with his lover. Evan's hands were running
through  his  hair  and  over  his  shoulders  and  his  face  radiated  such  lust  and
adoration.  Drew  couldn't  believe  it  was  him  who  was  making  Evan  feel  this
way, that it was his touch that was making Evan quake beneath him.

Evan's high-pitched and breathy moans were the most beautiful things he

had ever heard as he closed his lips around the head of Evan's cock and began
to suck his lover deep into his mouth. Taking in Evan's musky scent, tasting his
utter desire, invaded all of Drew's senses. Drew ran his hands over Evan’s slim
thighs and around his hipbones, continuing to suck him towards oblivion.

Evan clawed at the back of his neck and pulled on his hair, uttering

unintelligible cries of passion. Drew looked up and saw his head thrown back,
eye shut, and mouth open, in an unselfconscious display of complete pleasure.

"Drew." Evan panted hard and pulled at his shoulders. "Please, not gonna

last... in me, please... I need you in me."

Drew couldn't speak. He leaned over and fumbled in his nightstand for

condoms  and  lube,  as  Evan's  words  washed  over  him  like  a  tidal  wave.  This
was  happening.  He  was  having  sex  with  his  best  friend.  His  hands  began  to
tremble  and he dropped  the  tube and condom packet next to  them on  the bed.
He stared at Evan, suddenly frozen.

"What's wrong?" Evan's small fingers petted and soothed against his neck,

his eyes huge and blue and completely expressive.

"I... I love you. Before we do this, I need you to know that." The words

tumbled from his mouth in a somewhat blunt delivery, but truer words had
never been spoken.

- 13 -

Drew watched Evan's eyes fill with tears as the slender hands came up to

stroke his face.

"And I'm in love with you. Now, make love to me."
The deluge continued outside, but for two people it didn't matter in the

slightest.  Evan's  thighs  fell  apart  in  complete  abandonment  and  his  hands
clutched at  fistfuls  of bedding  as  Drew  slipped one,  and then two  lube-coated
fingers  inside  his  body,  slowly  and  reverently  stroking  and  stretching  the
sinfully  tight  muscle.  Drew  forced  himself  to  take  his  time,  wanting  to
remember every single detail, wanting to make Evan feel perfect.

"Oh, fuck, Drew! Now. I need you inside me now!" Evan's face was flushed,

wavy strands of his hair fanned out over the pillow, and his hips bucked,
forcing Drew's fingers even deeper inside.

Drew sat up and, with shaky fingers, rolled on the condom and coated his

length  with  lube,  moaning  at  the  touch.  He  positioned  himself  over  Evan,
giving  his  lover  a  deep,  soul-searching  kiss,  before  guiding  himself  to  Evan's
entrance,  and  slowing  pushing  past  the  tight  ring  of  muscle.  They  moaned  in
unison,  eyes  locked  together,  as  Drew  continued  to  press  farther  into  Evan's
body, until he was seated deep within his lover.

"Perfect." Evan's voice almost came out as a sob. "You're perfect."
Drew stilled to give him a moment to adjust. Evan's impossibly tight heat

engulfed  him  and  gripped  him  like  a  vise.  Drew  knew  without  a  doubt  that
being  inside  Evan  was  the  most  incredible  thing  he  could  ever  hope  to
experience.  He  smiled down at  Evan, brushing away  a strand of  hair  from his
eyes.

"I'm not perfect." Drew captured his lips in kiss.
Evan sucked on his bottom lip. "Yes, you are. You're perfect to me." Evan

gazed at him and Evan's hips tilted up, forcing him that much deeper inside.
"Move, please... I'm ready."

Drew let out a groan of pleasure as he began to slowly rock back and forth.

Evan's arms tightened around him and pulled him back down, lips and tongues
conveying wordlessly their love for each other. Drew pressed in and out of
Evan's perfect body in long, deep strokes. He had never felt so much in his life.

Evan's neck arched, baring the sensitive flesh of his throat, as he cried out

with each stroke. Drew could feel his orgasm building in the pit of his stomach.
Evan's muscles clenched  and fluttered around him  and Evan's fingers dug  into
his back. He reached between  them and gripped Evan's cock, stroking  in  time
with his  thrusts. Evan's cries only  grew louder, his hips  meeting  Drew's every
thrust, as they both raced toward completion.

A huge bolt of lightening lit up the sky, bathing the room in light. Evan

didn't  even  flinch.  His  eyes  were  fixed  on  Drew's.  Drew  stroked  Evan  twice
more  and  felt  his  muscles  clamp down. Evan cried  out, sobbing,  as  he coated
Drew's  hand  with his  release.  Watching  Evan's  face  as  he came  pushed  Drew
over  the  edge.  He  thrust  once  more  and his entire  body exploded  in  waves  of
bliss.  He  called  out  Evan's  name  as  he  came  inside  his  lover.  He  slumped
forward  onto  Evan,  their  chests  hewing  against  each  other's  as  they  both
regained their breath.

Once Drew could move, he slowly pulled out of Evan, discarded the condom

and flopped onto his back. Before he could turn, he felt Evan curl into his side,

- 14 -

throwing one arm over his chest, face nuzzling into his neck. Drew wrapped his
arms around Evan, pulling him as close as possible, trying to regain some of his
mental faculties.

  "That was... I never..." He couldn't even form words.
  "I know. Me, too."
  Evan lifted his face from the crook of Drew's neck to look at him. On Evan's

flushed, sated face there was a look of such love and devotion Drew knew Evan
understood everything he'd meant to say.

  "Love you."
  "Love you, too, Drew."
  They kissed slowly and lovingly before Evan rested his head once again on

Drew's chest, closing his eyes.

"Thank God for the forces of nature," were Evan's last words before he fell

asleep, the sound of the rain still pummeling the windows in the background.

***

Drew woke the next morning and looked down at the beautiful, sleeping body

he held in his arms, huddled so close to him, limbs clinging to him impossibly
tightly.  He  turned  his  head  to  look  out  the  window.  The  sun  was  breaking
through  the  clouds  and  fog.  There  was  even  a  rainbow.  He  smiled.  Mother
Nature was appeased and all was right with the world.