“There will be a lot of people who think it’s weird for a straight guy to have a gay best friend.” Drew shook his head. “We’ll have to be careful how weact.”
“Who gives a shit? You’re my best friend. Hanging out with you doesn’t make me gay. Nothing between us ever has tochange!”
“I don’tknow…”
“I do.” Bas insisted. Then he leaned over and kissedDrew.
The whole thing lasted about thirty seconds - ten seconds of soft, hesitant barely-touching contact, followed by ten seconds of Drew’s lips being smashed against his teeth. No other part of their bodies touched, and Drew noted in some distant corner of his mind that the scent of Bas - bug spray mixed with the dank odor of pond water - was anything butromantic.
And then Bas pulled back and smiled, wide and open, like Drew was the greatest thing on earth and Bas was thrilled and proud to have proven himself. And those final ten seconds - the seconds when Bas smiled - were the ones that changed Drewforever.
“I’m a pretty good kisser, eh?” Bas said. “My game’s pretty epic. Try not to fall in love with me.” He nudged his shoulder into Drew’s, inviting Drew to laughalong.
But all Drew could do was smile and nod and thinkOh my God. I love SebastianSeaver.
And he could never, neverknow.
Bas held out his hand, palm up, directly over Drew’s lap, and Drew glanced down to see the brightly colored sand dollar Bas had painted the day before, illuminated by themoonlight.
“Peace offering?” Bas said. “It’s a keychain. For next year, when we get cars. It’s, like, the only artistic thing I’ll ever do, probably, which makes it an exclusive collector’s item. And it can be yours for the low, low price of forgetting what an asshole I’ve been whole summer and being my friend for the rest of mylife.”
His gaze implored Drew to take the shell, to accept his apology, to take things back to the way they’d alwaysbeen.
Drew hesitated for only a fraction of a second before closing his fingers gently over the sand dollar. “Friends,” he said solemnly. “Alwaysfriends.”
And he willed the half-formed dreams ofmoreto fly away on the breeze across thewater.
