"Are we almost there?" Heather asks excitedly.

"Sure?" I laugh as we approach the stairs to the subway.

She gasps and pulls me back before I could step down. "What are you doing?"

"...making sure we don't miss the train."

"We're taking the subway?" She says in horror.

"Yeah..." I furrow my eyebrows at how nervous she looks. "Heather...how can you live in the city...and not use the subway?"

"Easily...limos are cleaner and less crowded."

"Sure, but limos don't have dog-sized rats or homeless people sleeping on the seats."

"Leo, I'm not getting on-"

"This one is kind of nice. It's the others you should worry about," I tease.

"Not a chance. I'll get us a taxi instead."

"No, let's go now. You'll love it. I'll have you sit on my lap, and I'll wrap my arms around you to protect you from the creeps," I grab her nervous hand and start leading her down the stairs with me.

"Does it always smell so bad?"

"Pretty much," I laugh.

She watches me put the subway tokens in and huddles closer to me while looking worriedly at other passengers.

What sort of subway horror stories have you heard from your friends and family who've never taken the subway?

"You come here alone?"

"Heather," I laugh, "kids take the subway alone. They're actually the biggest criminals you're gonna find up here. Luckily, it's way too early to be dealing with them this morning."

"Do you use the subway to come see me?"

"All the time."

"Oh, no," she says guiltily.

"No, it's okay, come here," we approach the platform and stare down at the tracks. "See, it's not so bad. Just a lot of standing." She starts to turn her head toward the low light and grimy walls, but I turn it back, "and some sitting if it's not too crowded."

"I feel so out of touch," she sighs.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you think I'm too sheltered? You know, clueless?"

"As opposed to what? Knowing how to play tag in abandoned buildings while avoiding stepping on needles?"

"As opposed to knowing people do that."

"Tell you what," I pull her to me so that we're pressed together. "After breakfast, I'll take you around on the subway and show you all the best graffiti throughout the boroughs."

"An extension to our date?" Heather smiles. I think the word just makes her happy. I'm your boyfriend, I'll do whatever you want, whenever you want, but calling it a date is just the cherry on top, huh?

"Yes, hot dogs in Coney Island, and then a walk through South Bronx because....you want to do that for some reason."

She laughs and playfully rolls her eyes just as the train comes in screeching beside us.

"Well, why wouldn't I want to?"

"Because you're very muggable, and I don't know how much fun you'll have interviewing the homeless youth."

The doors slide open, and I grab her hand and pull her in behind me. Most of the seats are empty considering it's a Sunday, but I make sure she's seated on my lap anyway.

"Are we going to the diner by your house?" Heather asks.

"Pinkies?" I raise my eyebrows and she nods. "No, my mom's there right now, she'll figure out something's going on between us."

"You don't want her to know?"

"No, and you don't either," I chuckle. "She'll get really weird about you coming over when she's not home." Though, maybe my mom would mind less considering Heather isn't a 'sleazy street girl.'

"Oh," Heather says amusedly. "She doesn't know the things you do in closets...or against dressers..."

"Or with you on my bed, no. And, we're going to keep it that way for a little while longer so I'll still be able to shut my door when you're over."

"Okay," she agrees.

"You're cool with that?" I ask for reassurance.

"Yes, when it's the right time, we'll tell her together and negotiate unsupervised visitation."

"Good luck with that," I scoff at the idea. As long as you keep any marks below my neck, we'll be just fine, supervised or not.

She leans her head on my shoulder, her face nuzzling into the crook of my neck. My heart...fluttered, it's the weirdest fucking feeling and I can never stop it...or the smiles.

I hold her closer to make sure she's warm and comfortable, and safe in my arms.

You've really done a number on me, butterfly. I can't even say I "like" you anymore, I don't think that's the right word.

"Spare change," a man walks down the aisle with a can of coins, "can anyone spare a dollar? I swear, I won't buy crack."

Heather lifts up and starts reaching for her bag.

"No," I stop her and lower her hand.

"Why not?"

"Because he's definitely going to buy crack."

Alright, slow down..." Aaron says nervously while we charge full speed through the parking lot.

"Yeah, okay," I search for the brake with my feet.

"Woah," he steadies the wheel until I find it and press down, the car stopping with a jolt.

"...sorry," I mumble.

"It's scary that you had to look down to find the brake."

"Is it? Or is it scary that the brake is so hard to find?"

"How? You're using both your feet to drive, and you're not even supposed to do that."

"I don't want to drive anymore," I give up.

"Aw, come on, you're not that bad."

"You start cringing and hyperventilating whenever I put my foot on the gas."

"Yeah, because you floor it."

"Driving is pointless. I can go my whole life without needing a license. I'm not good at this, and I'm only getting worse. If I start the car again, It's going to explode. The battery will fall out and there will be gasoline all over the street, and the tires will catch on fire and we'll-"

Aaron kisses me.

He silenced my rambling, and I definitely stopped thinking about the ultimate destruction of his car...

My eyes naturally fell shut at the touch. We kept our hands to ourselves, but for some reason, it felt like so much more was happening.

He's really good at this.

"So, we'll try again tomorrow?"

"Driving?" I sigh.

He smirks and leans in again, pressing his lips firmly against mine.

"Driving," he nods.

"Okay," I whisper against his lips, "I like driving."

I follow the trail of clothes that lead from my living room toward the indoor jacuzzi.

"Well, what do we have here?"

"I hope you don't mind, I let myself in," Jace grins.

"You and...everyone else, apparently."

"Oh, you mean these girls?"

"The ones in my jacuzzi," I nod.

"They're my best friends," he puts his arms around them. "Clarissa and Simone."

"As of an hour ago?"

"Two, actually. They're tourists, isn't that great?"

I taught him the joys of tourists. When they're not annoyingly stopping in the middle of the street to take pictures of stoplights, they're easily impressed by the way I travel and where I live. It takes nothing at that point for them to pass up the World Trade Center for a tour of my bed.

"I'll leave you to it then."

"No, join us. There's plenty to go around."

"I try not to dabble in carnal desires outside of my current arrangement."

"Oh, right," he nods, "Trevor has a girlfriend."

"Aw," the girls pout.

"I'm sorry, ladies," you're really missing out.

"You can still get in, can't you? A platonic soak with your oldest friend and his very special new ones."

"I suppose..." I step toward the jacuzzi, undoing my clothes in the process.

"And you can also indulge in other favors."

"Such as?"

"Well," Jace smiles and reaches behind him, "in this little treasure chest..." he opens the small box, "we have Thai sticks."

"Thai Haze?

"To help you relax."

I climb down into the hot tub. "Oh, Is that what you're using it for?" I ask disbelievingly. "I've been told it's a bit of an aphrodisiac."

"Is that so?" Jace pretends to be surprised, and the girls giggle and fawn over him. "If it is...then call Alison."

I sigh, "I'd rather not."

"Someone's becoming bored of their girlfriend," Jace says slyly.

"Said girlfriend is becoming a brat."

"That's kind of what happens when you're with them for more than a month."

"What nerve does she have to be angry with me for getting mad at her? She disrespected me, and I was willing to forgive her, she should be grateful."

"What'd she do?"

I sigh, "I wasn't going to tell you this, but..."

"Go on, I'm zen," he passes the stick to the girl on his left.

"Alright, Alison really wanted to make up with Heather for the millionth time, so she let her bring Leo to her house."

Jace laughs, "why am I not surprised?"

"He sat there, smug and poor and just mocked us the entire time...in between sessions of inhaling Heather."

He rolled his eyes, "fuck them."

"Leonardo and Heather? Or Heather and Alison?"

"All of them," Jace replies. "And there's a reason Heather and Alison are just Audrey's back up singers. She knows her place."

I chuckle, "it involves a golden throne, and her using our backs as a footstool."

"Never to be overthrown, especially not for a fucking burnout."

"Well, maybe not a burnout, but there's always that Carey-kryptonite if we need it."

Jace smirks, "do you think it's true? Did Ethan really get her pregnant and make her get rid of it?"

"It has to be," I say in amusement, "two people don't randomly start hating each other that passionately unless sex is involved."

"Sex isn't the problem. Feelings are. That's why I no longer have any that aren't below the waist."

"Having a girlfriend is a full-time job," I complain.

"24 hours, 7 days of the week," Jace agreed.

"I have to call her, incorporate her into my plans, buy her gifts on stupid anniversary days that she makes up, compliment her every second of the fucking day, listen to her complain about something meaningless, or happily go on about something even more meaningless— and at the end of the day, I might not even get any."

"Welcome to commitment, my friend."

"I remember why I avoided it so long. I could like them for a week at most, and then no more obligations. And, I got some whenever I wanted and they'd take a cab home afterward."

"Those were the days."

"I could practically fly."

"And now I'm soaring," he smirks. "We haven't been simultaneously single since junior high."

"Yes, remind me how that feels again."

He smirks at me before turning to Clarissa and kissing her sloppily. She puts her hand behind his neck and kisses back just as feverishly before he pulls away and turns to lay one on Simone.

I sigh sadly at the sight.

"I've made a terrible mistake."

"Thanks for the ride," and letting me sit on the passenger side this time.

"Thanks for the day," he moves in as if he plans to kiss me again, but I pull back quickly when I catch a glimpse of Matt standing outside.

"I-"

Aaron looks past me and sees him too. "Another ex?"

I shake my head, "brother."

"Oh," he says in understanding. "I'll call you then?"

"Okay, sounds good," I say hurriedly and rush out of the car, "I had fun."

He chuckled and smirked at me, "me too. See you soon, yeah?"

"Yeah," I smile and close the door, waving him off when the car pulls away.

"Who the fuck was that?" Matt speaks up.

"His name is Aaron. He's cool."

He nods, and I start to walk past him up the stairs of my building.

"Don't talk to that Edwin guy from school anymore. He doesn't have your back."

I turn to him in confusion, "Edwin?"

"The gay jock." That title is becoming a bit of a commonplace, especially if you add 'closeted' to it.

"Evan," I correct him, though he doesn't care. "He's not gay. He likes girls," too.

"So, he's like a bisexual or something?"

"Why do you even think he's gay?"

"Because he liked you."

I swallowed hard and nervously.

"Oh."

"But if you ask him— he'll say he doesn't know you. You're just some loser who gets pushed around and follows him for protection or something."

"...he said that?"

"Right to my face like I wouldn't call him on his bullshit. Can you believe the punk?" Matt scoffs angrily.

"Why—why would he say..." I shake my head in disbelief...and sadness. Why does it feel so hard to breathe?

Why do you always do this, Evan?

"I guess that's what happens when someone brings up your name? He trembles like a little bitch."

Aaron doesn't.

I clench my jaw, "alright, thanks, Matt."

"For what?"

"Having my back..."

He shrugged off my gratitude... understandably. Matt is one of the most loyal guys you could ever meet.

And even now...

When he's never given the impression that he was accepting of these kinds of things.

He's scared of scented lotion because "it makes you smell gay."

"So...you don't mind?"

"I don't mind?"

"That...me...and Evan, you know?"

"Oh, that," he says and I nod. "I mean, I don't know...I guess I don't care," he shrugs. "Do what you want...but I don't see why you were with that guy if you're gay."

"Why not?"

"He's a pussy."

"Are you really going to keep all this stuff?" Leo asks in amusement at my snow globes, key chains, hats, and bracelets that I collected today.

"Yes," I say defensively. "Why wouldn't I?"

"It makes it look like I've shown you nothing but Times Square," he laughs.

"Well, it's not like we didn't go sightseeing in the most popular places New York has to offer. I'd seen everything already, these are just souvenirs to remember our date."

"I wasn't going to take you to the gritty sides, they're dangerous and nothing to see anyway."

"I thought the whole point was for me to see the real world. Good and bad."

"Why do that when your real world doesn't have that kind of bad?"

"Because yours does."

"Less now," he smiles as he approaches me and pulls me into a kiss.

"You're so cute," I mumble against his lips, and he chuckles softly before kissing me harder.

I back up slowly, bringing him toward the bed with me, but he stops us before we could get any further.

"it's late," he grumbled, "I have to get home."

"No," I pout.

Leo laughs, "I've spent the whole day with you. You're not tired of me yet?"

"I want you to stay."

"But we have school tomorrow."

"You can leave with me. You won't have to wake up as early," I propose.

"I don't have clothes or anything here."

"I can get you some by morning."

"Butterfly..."

"Leo," I reply and move down further on my bed, patting the side next to me, "...stay."

He looked at me from the end of the bed and smirked.

"You're impossible to say 'no' to, you know that?" He pulls off his shirt and drops it onto the floor.

"Good," I say slyly. Leo unbuckles his jeans and steps out of them before climbing into the bed. He hovers over me instead of laying at my side. "I'm not getting you into any trouble, am I?"

"Nah, my mom will call Danny, and he knows I'm with you, so he'll cover for me."

"I'll let you go tomorrow."

"No, you won't."