Choose Your Own Adventure (Yaoi style!)

4A

I swallowed. How much was I really up for in one night? But, you only live once, right? “Ok.”

His smile was precious—like a kid on his birthday. He nodded and got off the bike, taking my helmet as I did the same. After showing me where I could park, we took the stairs to the second floor. He lived in on of those efficiency apartment buildings where all the doors faced the outside and were exposed to the weather. It only had three floors, so at least he probably didn’t have to deal with too many nosy neighbors. But there didn’t appear to be any courtyard in the center as he walked up the side stairs, and that meant no balcony. Yick. I couldn’t live anywhere that didn’t have a balcony so I could sit outside in peace. Oh well, not my place, was it?

“Here we are,” he said, stopping at apartment 2C. There was the sound of TV and loud voices as he opened the door.

“Oh, hey, Eric!” a guy, about the same age as Eric but far less fit, called as we stepped in.

“Hey, John. I thought you were going out tonight,” he replied.

John didn’t seem to hear him. He was on a couch with a guy and a girl on each side, all of them glued to the wide screen before them as they played some sort of battle game. Geez.

Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t have any issue with games or gamers. I had a good friend who almost never lifted his eyes from his handheld system even when going out and walking or having lunch together. But he could hold a conversation still and always liked to explain and share what he was doing. These people. Not so much.

Chips spilled on the floor as John did some sort of victory dance, and no one offered introductions. These were the people who gave gamers a bad rep, I thought. Beside me, Eric sighed.

“Sorry, I guess that drink will have to wait.”

“That’s ok. I’m pretty tired anyway.” I tried not to examine how my heart sank as I waved goodbye and went out the door. I’d had an eventful night already. And I barely knew this guy. So what if we didn’t get ‘alone time’ tonight?

I was walking my bike out of the little parking lot toward the street when I heard a voice behind me.

“Hey, Ferd! Wait!”

I looked back and saw Eric jogging toward me. “You forgot something,” he said.

“What—?” Before I could ask, he closed the space between us and his lips found mine.

It was a soft, surprising kiss—over before I could really take advantage of it, but it was nice.

“Night!” he said, then turned and jogged off again up the stairs.