The boys were now lain in bed, with Oscar's blue and orange comforter covering them from the waist down. Noah's arms were around the other boy in a comfortable embrace, and Oscar's naked back was resting against Noah's bare chest.

Both boy's heads rested on the same pillow, and the warm sunlight peering through the window next to the bed cascaded over their bodies. Noah's fingertips dragged along Oscar's soft skin and the small, purple welt that had appeared on his collarbone. He began, "So, why don't you want your parents to know? I mean, about you. They seem cool."

Oscar sighed, "Yeah, they are. It's just that, I didn't even know. I mean... I always knew that it was a possibility, but I didn't know. They never talked about this stuff with me. I think they'd be fine with it, but I'd be so weird to tell them." 

He sighed, "We don't talk all that much anyway, and I have no idea how I'd even start that conversation." 

"Yeah, I get that," Noah said. "I mean, I don't... but I do. When I came out, my mom pretty much did it all for me. She was the first person that explained to me what being gay meant, and when I told her that I had felt that way, she told my dad for me. I thought he was going to be disappointed, but he wasn't. No one in my family cared actually. A few cousins from Alabama had some things to say about it but they got blocked on Facebook," he laughed.

Oscar went silent for a moment. "Actually, I did tell a couple people about us. I told Kim, and obviously Ethan already knows. Jamie probably thinks she knows."

"Wait, you told Kim? How'd she take it?" Noah asked.

"Oh, you know. She was fine with it. I don't think it's going to change anything between us," he trailed off. 

"But, I did blow off hanging with her to help you study tonight. We didn't get much of that done."

Noah chuckled, "I'd rather do this than pass a math test any day." He gently grabbed the brunette boy's chin and tilted it up. The kiss was brief, but made Oscar blush again. 

As their lips parted Noah picked up his phone from the bedside table nearest to him and said, "Hey, I should get going." 

He slipped out from under Oscar's warm body and picked up his pants off floor. He slid them up his legs, and pulled his t-shirt over his now-messy hair.

Oscar sat up in bed and asked, "You want me to walk you out?"

Noah, seeing Oscar shirtless and only in his boxers laughed, "No that's fine, you look comfortable. I remember where the front door is," he said, sarcastically.

"Alright smartass, get out then," Oscar laughed, throwing another pillow at the blond boy. 

Noah opened the bedroom door and said, "See you tomorrow, babe," before closing it behind him.

Minutes later, Oscar heard Noah downstairs saying "Bye, Mr. and Mrs. Fleming," and the closing of the front door.

Oscar laid back on the cool sheets and a smile lingered on his lips. He sighed, before heaving himself out of bed, and putting on a fresh pair of jeans and a shirt. The time displayed on his phone and the aroma coming from downstairs both told him that it was almost time for dinner.

As Oscar descended the stairs and looked at the kitchen that was before him, he saw a wide spread of various sizes of white take-out boxes with traditional Chinese letters stamped onto the sides of them. Steam was wafting heavily from more than one of them.

He saw his father, already sat at the table, indulging in a plate full of fried rice, and his mother at the drink cart in the far corner of the room, fixing herself an apple brandy. When she finished, she turned towards him with her drink in her hand and said, "Well, you look nice. Is that a new jacket?"

Oscar was outfitted in a black-and-white, striped shirt, and a pair of black skinny jeans with holes in the knees. Over his shirt was the light-washed denim jacket that Noah had left in his room.

With this simple question, a panic set off in Oscar. "Uh, no, I've had it, I must've not shown it to you... anyway!" he said quickly, and paced to his seat at the dinner table.

"Hey, Dad. How was work?" he asked. 

"It was alright. Can't get those damn kids to cite their term papers... but it was alright," his father said.

His mom said, sitting down next to him, "Matthew! Can we not swear during dinner, please?"

"I'm sorry, hun. I just fail to understand why those kids are taking a college-level history class that isn't required, if they're not going to cite their papers!" Matthew said, putting his hands up in an exaggerated fashion.

At the sight of this dramatic display, Oscar chuckled softly to himself, which then caused his mother, and subsequently his father, to join it.

"Ha ha, laugh it up." Matthew said in a sarcastic tone, "When you go off to college next year, I beg you, please, cite your essays."

Laughing even harder now, Oscar managed to say "Fine, I will!" in between breaths. The table eventually calmed down, and Oscar began picking at the box of noodles in front of him. 

His mom was the first to break the silence. "So, is Noah a new friend? I don't think I've ever met him before," she asked. 

"Yeah, we just started hanging out a little while ago. I went to that concert with him and Jamie a few weeks ago?" he said. 

"Oh that's right! I meant to ask you more about that. Did you have a good time?" She asked cheerfully.

"Yeah, I had a great time. The music was really good," he answered.

Oscar's father then chimed in, "I haven't seen Kim in awhile, what's she been up to?" 

Oscar answered, "Oh, you know. The usual. I think she's been pretty busy with school and work stuff lately."

Matthew continued, "Ah, alright then."

"But Noah," Oscar started, "he's in my band class and he was at that party I went to with Kim a while ago..."

Suddenly, his mom's phone that was laying face down on the glass table began vibrating. She looked up from her food and said, "Sorry honey, I think this is about work. I'll be right back." 

With an apologetic look on her face, she picked up the phone and walked into the adjoining room with it pressed to her ear.

After a moment of silence, Oscar's father spoke, "Noah seems like a good kid. A good friend."

Oscar smiled, "Yeah... he is."