Nick looked at Julie curiously, but it was clear she wasn’t going to explain. So he resigned himself to just following her. She was trailing around the edge of campus, following a stone wall the dean had installed years ago after too many kids got drunk and lost in the woods. She found a foothold, climbing up the wall without glancing at Nick. He raised an eyebrow once she was at the top, before sighing and following her up. He dropped down to the other side next to her, and followed her toward a clearing that overlooked the town their college was in. He could see someone sitting with their legs dangling over the cliff, watching the town as the night lights started coming on. Nick felt an overwhelming sense of relief, and it wasn’t until then that he realized how worried he had been about Reggie. He stopped following though, letting Julie approach on her own. Reggie’s head snapped up when she got close. “Hey, big brother.” She called quietly, “Wanna talk about why you ran out like that?”
”I’m sorry.” Reggie’s voice was so quiet that Nick could barely hear it, “I should have realized he’d be there. I knew he was friends with Carrie, and that other guy came, so of course he was going to. And I tried to be okay, but then Luke said that and I probably could’ve just kissed him or Alex to be safe, but I panicked.”
”So Nick is the guy you’ve been telling me about?” She asked, gently bumping her shoulder into his as she sat down.
”Yeah. He’s the guy I’ve been telling you about.” Nick could feel his breath catch in his throat as his brain short circuited. He thought Reggie didn’t like him. Subconsciously, he took a step forward, but a branch broke under his foot and Reggie turned around. Julie gave him a soft smile, like she was encouraging him, but Nick panicked. He ran away.
”I can’t believe you ran away.” It was Alex this time. He and Willie had started dating that night, and they were sitting in Nick’s dorm telling him what an idiot he was. Like he didn’t already know. “He’s going to think you hate him.”
”I thought he hated me.” Nick countered weakly. “Every time he saw me before, he ran away.”
Alex shook his head as he carded his fingers through Willie’s hair, “All he ever talks about if how pretty your smile is or how nice your arms are. Quite frankly it’s getting annoying.”
”Thank you!” Willie exclaimed. “You know my pain. I’ve listened to him wax poetry about how pretty Reggie is for a month now.”
Nick wanted to be annoyed, but he knew he was more annoyed with himself. His phone rang with a number he didn’t know before he could berate himself too much, “Uh, hello?”
”Nick?” Nick knew that voice, “I’m sorry. I know this is weird. Flynn said she’d hit me if I didn’t call, and I honestly think she will. I just- fuck I’m sorry, I wanted to ask if you wanted to get coffee?”
”Yeah,” Nick breathed out, “Absolutely. Wanna meet in the coffee shop?”
”Yeah, uh, I’m already here. But if now is a bad time-“
”No, no, now is fine. I’m on my way.” Nick hung up before either of them could second guess it, not even sparing a second to tell Willie or Alex who he was meeting. He hurried across the quad to the coffee shop, seeing the familiar dark haired boy anxiously shifting around in his seat. Nick took a deep breath, approaching him slowly. “Uh, hi.”
”Hey.” Reggie waved with a stiff smile. “Have a seat?” He gestured across from him where there was already a cup. Reggie took a sip of his own, clearly trying to calm himself. “I’m, uh, I’m sorry. About last night. My friends can be assholes. If you don’t like me, it’s like, it’s fine. Okay? Things don’t have to get any weirder than they already are.”
Nick listened carefully, before picking and choosing his own words, “And what if...what if I do like you?”
Reggie almost choked on his next drink. “If you- What?”
”I’m going to be honest, I’ve had a crush on you for weeks now.” Nick didn’t know where this new bravery was coming from. Maybe it was because he made the smile fall off this pretty boy’s face and he wanted to put it back. “I’m not good with crushes. Carrie says I have gay panic. And I know I don’t know a lot about you. Hell, until you came to Flynn’s dorm that day I didn’t even know your name. But I really like your voice, and your laugh, and the way you play bass. And you might literally be the prettiest person I’ve ever seen.”
Reggie laughed at that, “Clearly you don’t look in the mirror then.” There was a blush on both their cheeks, and they hid behind their cups for a moment. “Uh, how about we make this our...first date? If you’re interested?”
Nick reached out, gently taking Reggie’s hand on the table top. “I’d really like that. But I should introduce myself properly. Hi. I’m Nick Carlson.”
”Hi, Nick,” Reggie grinned. “I’m Reggie Molina.”