“I’m glad to hear it,” Kasen finally said over the sound of rain as it plummeted to the earth. He licked his lips, squinting his eyes to keep rain from getting into them as he watched Rowan’s head tilt back again. It was as if he had never taken a moment to appreciate the rain. Or maybe it just really did make him that happy.
It was a surprisingly warm rain, despite the temperature. Kasen felt his cheeks heating up again. He hugged his arms around himself, shaking his head as he let out a small laugh, “This is a bit crazy, isn’t it?” He asked.
He glanced up, watching as Rowan’s eyes found his. “Is it?” Rowan asked him, turning to face him. “What’s life without a bit of craziness, Kasey?”
Kasen blinked, biting his bottom lip before he gave a small shrug, “You’re probably right about that. It would be a very boring life.”
“Exactly,” Rowan nodded. Then he reached out, his hand touching Kasen’s shoulder as Kasen looked at him with a quirked brow.
“You’re it,” Rowan said with a boyish grin. Then he took off running over the grass.
Kasen shook his head, laughing again. Was he supposed to chase him? It did seem to be a game of tag all the sudden…..in the rain. Why the hell not? He asked himself.
So he took off after him, carefully stepping around puddles where he could as he steadily gained on the other. Rowan was pretty fast. Kasen laughed again, trying to see through the rain as it turned into an absolute down pour. There was going to be a flood if the rain didn’t let up soon.
“Come on, slow poke!” Rowan called out to him, and Kasen laughed again as he watched Rowan dart around a tree. He skidded to a halt, reaching out to press his palm against the tree as he poked his head about, trying to catch a glimpse of Rowan.
“We’re getting soaked!” Kasen said, stating the obvious.
“There’s nothing wrong with a bit of rain,” Rowan replied, poking his head out around the other side. He then quickly maneuvered himself around it, tapping at Kasen’s shoulder until the younger male turned around.
“Ah ha!” Kasen said, but as he reached out for him, Rowan was gone again.
The chase went on like that for a good five minutes before Rowan slid on some mud, falling down an embankment with Kasen following in suit. They rolled all the way down, and then Kasen landed beside of him. With both men on their backs, muddy and soaked, they couldn’t help but to burst out in laughter.
The rain was finally easing up, a light sprinkle pelting against the drenched ground as Rowan slowly moved onto his side and glanced down at the other.
Kasen was breathing heavily, cheeks red and hair clinging to his face. Mud covered his back, but it didn’t seem to bother him at all.
Rowan listened to the boy’s laughter as he reached his hand up suddenly, resting it against Kasen’s cheek. As his thumb stroked over the smooth skin, there was a trail of mud left in its wake. Kasen’s laughter died quickly as his blue eyes opened to gaze into those same warm brown ones once again.
Rowan hovered above him for several long seconds, thumb moving steadily over his cheek before he inched down a bit. He stopped, hesitant, gazing into Kasen’s eyes as he licked his lips.
Kasen blinked, feeling the touch of Rowan’s thumb against his cheek. His heart rate had quickened already, and the butterflies were going insane within his abdomen. It didn’t matter that it was raining, or that they were drenched and muddy. What mattered in that exact moment was how he was feeling, and the sweet anticipation of what Rowan may do.
Though as the seconds dragged on, Rowan simply stared at him, still caressing his cheek.
What if he pushes me away? Rowan thought in his mind. What if I’m about to mess something up? A friendship? What if I have to move because of this?
Kasen blinked again before biting at his bottom lip, “Do it,” He finally managed to say, though his voice was quivering from nerves.
Rowan blinked, thick brows knitting together as he gazed down to the younger fellow. He was going to ask what it was that Kasen wanted him to do, but then his common sense finally kicked in.
He moved in until his lips could lightly brush against Kasen’s. He only hoped this was what Kasen really wanted. It would crush him if this beautiful creature beneath him rejected him. He had to be careful.
I am done with being careful. He thought, kissing Kasen’s mouth gently.
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The kiss may have lasted only seconds or perhaps minutes, but the rain was quickly forgotten as Kasen carefully moved his lips against Rowan’s. Their kiss was timid and cautious, like two teenagers experimenting and not having a damn clue as to what they were doing.
Kasen lifted his hand, resting it against the back of Rowan’s neck as he sighed against his mouth. The sound of the rain hammering down around them became non-existent, and they could only hear two rapidly beating hearts.
It was his first kiss, and Kasen couldn’t imagine that it could have gone any better than this exact moment, with this exact person. As Rowan finally pulled back, Kasen’s big blue eyes opened and he gazed at the other. Both were silent for several seconds before Rowan offered his hand to help Kasen stand up.
“Thanks,” Kasen whispered, pulling himself up with Rowan’s help. He gazed at him, trying to calm his racing heart as Rowan’s thumb caressed his knuckles. He tried to suppress the smile threatening to appear on his tingling lips as a soft rumble of thunder sounded in the distance.
“For what?” Rowan asked softly, a drop of water clinging to his long lashes as he tilted his head to the side.
“For this,” Kasen replied, tracing his tongue over his bottom lip. He could still taste Rowan there and it was the most delicious flavor in the world. “For everything.”
“You don’t have to thank me,” Rowan insisted with another rich laugh. “However, we should probably get out of this rain.”
Chapter Eleven
Even on the way back to his car, all Rowan could think about was the fact that Kasen had allowed him to kiss him. And he had kissed back. This changed things-a lot. It changed them in a good way, at least in Rowan’s mind. He couldn’t be entirely sure how Kasen felt about it, but judging by the smile on his face, he must have been thinking the same thing.
They were both silent on the drive back to Kasen’s apartment. It wasn’t an awkward silence, mostly just a frame of time in which two people were trying to process what had just happened between them. The rain had picked up again, and Rowan had put his wipers onto the fastest speed possible to keep his windshield clear. The night had taken a surprising turn, and the last thing he wanted to do was end up in a ditch because he’d chosen to be irresponsible behind the wheel.
It wasn’t long before they were in the parking lot of Kasen’s apartment complex, and Rowan put his car into park as he turned the high beams off. He slowly turned his head to peer at the other, who was still dripping wet. The mud on his cheek was drying, but that dark color contrasted beautifully with sapphire eyes and alabaster skin.
He noticed the way Kasen gazed at him, sort of in a nervous manner, but it was understandable. Rowan was almost certain that Kasen had never kissed another man before, and it was possible that he’d never kissed anyone at all. He could still remember the way the younger male’s lips felt against his own. The way they trembled, and struggled to return a proper kiss. But he did return it. Rowan reminded himself.
“I had a great time,” Kasen suddenly said which caused Rowan to quirk a thick brow.
“Yeah?” He asked, a small smile forming on his lips. “I did, too. A really great time.”
That wasn’t a lie. He had enjoyed himself more than he had in a very long time. It was something he hadn’t thought possible, really. Since his break up with Elliott, Rowan had avoided any situation such as this. But this time was different. Or at least, that’s how he felt at the moment. Kasen was different.
Chocolate brown eyes remained focused on the youthful face of the young man in his passenger seat as Rowan moved his
hand over, attempting to remove the mud from Kasen’s cheek. This resulted in a shared laugh, as the two males possibly reminisced over the same memory. A good memory. Rowan discovered that he wanted more memories like that. With Kasen. But was it too soon to want such things? Probably.
“We should probably get cleaned up,” Kasen said suddenly, and that snapped Rowan out of his thoughts.
He nodded in agreement, “Yeah. Wet and muddy aren’t the most comfortable sensations in the world, are they?” He chuckled lightly.
“Do you, uh, want to come up?” Kasen asked, biting at his lower lip.
Yes. Was what Rowan thought, but at the same time, he knew that could be a bad idea. Because if he went upstairs, more kisses would ensue. And from more kisses would come wants and desires, and he wasn’t entirely sure either of them was ready for that yet. Kasen definitely wasn’t ready.
“I would very much like to,” Rowan replied with a gentle smile. “But my dog probably thinks I’m dead, or starving him on purpose.”
“Right, yeah,” Kasen nodded, and then he shook his head. “My dog’s probably really hungry, too. So I guess I should uh, let you go then,” Kasen reached for the door handle, but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. He slowly turned his head to gaze at Rowan, who was a bit closer than before.
“I want to see you again,” Rowan said, quietly.
Kasen’s heart began to pound as he gazed at the older male. He licked his lips, and then he nodded, “Yeah,” He replied, “Yeah, I would like that. A lot.”
Another smile spread over Rowan’s lips, before he closed the distance between them and allowed his mouth to capture Kasen’s for another kiss.
Kasen was getting better at it. Or at least he liked to think so. He tilted his head slightly, returning the kiss that Rowan had offered. After a few seconds, they pulled apart.
“Goodnight,” Rowan said gently.
“Goodnight,” Kasen whispered, and he finally mustered his senses enough to actually get out. He gave Rowan a wave, watching as he backed out of the parking lot and disappeared down the street.
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The next morning came all too soon for Kasen’s liking. He stayed in bed for a good ten minutes before he finally willed himself to get up. It seemed that all he could think about was the night before. He hadn’t dreamt that, right?
He did often have nice dreams such as that, usually starring the likes of Andrew Garfield or Channing Tatum. The only difference now was that last night had actually happened. There was no fantasy there. It wasn’t in his head. He had honest to goodness kissed a man. He had kissed a handsome, friendly, kind man who could warm up the coldest of nights with one smile.
Kasen sighed, wiping the mist off of his mirror as he gazed at his reflection. His blue eyes were bright, and were they sparkling? It was quite possible. He was so absolutely happy, it nearly scared him.
He was just in a genuinely good mood. Even as he was brushing his teeth, he found himself smiling. He got dressed rather quickly, putting on his denim jacket and a beanie before he grabbed for Houston’s leash. He found himself very excited to visit the dog park this morning.
But he also knew that that had a lot to do with the fact Rowan would be there. He really, really liked him. From what he could tell, Rowan seemed like to him, too. Or at least, that’s usually what a kiss meant, right? Two people kissed each other when they had mutual feelings, correct?
He couldn’t be bothered with such little worries right now. He wanted to get to the dog park as quickly as possible. The sooner he was there, the sooner he could see Rowan.
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so excited in his life. Perhaps when he got his job at the radio station, or maybe even when he’d gotten his apartment. But nothing could match the anticipation of meeting up with someone who made him feel the way Rowan did.
The air was chilly, and the wind bit at his cheeks as he shivered. Houston’s tail was wagging happily as he led the way down the familiar sidewalk that led to the metal gate, where Kasen was certain Rowan was waiting for him.
“Come on, Boy. Almost there,” Kasen said, grinning a little as he pushed opened the metal gate and stepped inside. Though his heart was slowing down a bit when he didn’t see the face he so desperately wanted to see.
He sighed, suddenly feeling silly for having gotten his hopes up so much. Maybe Rowan had been called into work. Or maybe he was sleeping in late since it was his last day off for the weekend. The feeling of disappointment clutching at his chest didn’t help anything at all.
That’s what you get. He told himself with a roll of his eyes. He chuckled lightly, closing the gate behind himself as he unhooked the leash from Houston’s collar and let the canine run off. He licked his lips, leaning against the stone wall as he kept a vigilant eye on his dog while pulling out his pack of smokes.
As he lit up the cigarette, he was startled by a sudden voice.
“Fancy meeting you here.”
He couldn’t help but to smile as he turned his head to see that Rowan and Napoleon were entering the park as well. Napoleon took off after Houston when he was released, and Rowan tucked the leash into his jacket pocket as he closed the gate.
“Hi,” Kasen said, nodding to him as he took a drag of his cigarette.
“Hi back,” Rowan said with a nod. He leaned against the stone wall beside of Kasen, his eyes on the dogs as they sniffed each other in greeting.
“I wasn’t sure if you had to work this morning,” Kasen offered, trying to strike up a conversation. It was normal to have a normal conversation with someone you’d previously kissed, right?
“On a Sunday? No way. I’m always off on Sunday,” Rowan chuckled as he tightened his jacket around himself. “It’s insanely cold this morning, isn’t it? I thought temperatures like this only happened in Boston.”
Kasen laughed lightly, shaking his head, “The weather is so bipolar here sometimes it’s hard to tell what you’re going to get, honestly,” He licked his lips, taking another drag before exhaling through his nostrils. “Did you sleep well last night?”
Rowan nodded, though Kasen may not have seen that considering he was trying to keep focused on Houston. He didn’t want to creep Rowan out with his constant staring.
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“I did, actually,” Rowan replied, grinning a bit when he realized Kasen wasn’t looking at him. He had since figured out that Kasen was just a very shy individual. He could see why; the kid had been sheltered nearly his whole life, never having left his town until Rowan came along.
In a way, Rowan was hoping that he could change a lot of that for Kasen, if he’d allow him to. He could take him loads of places, show him loads of things, and maybe…. Stop thinking like that. Rowan scolded himself. He was jumping ahead of himself, planning an undetermined future that he had no right to even think about at this point.
So they had kissed. Twice. So what? That didn’t mean Kasen had any interest in dating him. He really needed to get out of that mindset. One would think he’d learned his lesson after what had happened with Elliott. But Kasen was nothing like Elliott. He seemed too kind, too innocent. Elliott had been the exact opposite.
“I did, too,” Kasen’s sudden voice tugged Rowan from his own thoughts, and it was then he realized that Kasen was finally looking at him.
Rowan could feel the heat rushing to his cheeks, despite the cold temperature that surrounded them. He grinned a bit and was delighted when Kasen returned the grin.
“I’m glad to hear that,” Rowan said gently, moving a little closer to Kasen as he rested his elbows back against the stone wall. He licked his lips, swallowing before he let his eyes wander to find Houston and Napoleon chasing each other around a tree.
“They really like each other,” Kasen commented.
Rowan nodded, smiling a little more. “Yeah, they do,” He replied. “They get along really well. They may not know each other that well yet, but there’s a possibility they could ha
ve a great friendship, you know?”
“Yeah,” Kasen agreed, “But it doesn’t really matter how long they’ve known each other…I guess it’s just depends on how they feel about the situation.”
Rowan turned his head, glancing at Kasen once more. Was he insinuating what he thought he was insinuating? Surely not. He was jumping to conclusions again. He needed to stop doing that.
“You’re right about that,” Rowan said, in spite of himself. He smiled a little, watching as Napoleon trotted back to him, sniffing at his leg. He reached his hand down to pet his head, scratching behind his ears as he tried to keep himself from coming up with any more crazy conclusions.
Kasen was young, and he seemed so golden. It was just like from that book The Outsiders. Staying golden wasn’t something that everyone could do. The world was so corrupted, and it was hard to avoid some of the exploitation of what civilization had become.
Though in Rowan’s mind, he wasn’t trying to corrupt him. If anything, he just wanted to show him how big the world was. What the world had to offer. Maybe, what he had to offer to Kasen.
Have you really not learned your lesson? Did Elliott not teach you anything? Relationships are bad. B-A-D.
Rowan was really tired of listening to his conscience on this. Because when he met Kasen’s eyes again, he honestly couldn’t understand how a person like him could be bad at all.
Then again, he didn’t know him all that well. They’d only hung out a hand full of times, and he knew it took longer than that to really know how one felt about another. Right?
Chapter Twelve
Kasen could tell that Rowan was deep in thought, so he remained silent as he watched the other giving affection to his dog. Houston was leaning against Kasen’s leg lazily, breathing heavily as he looked about. Kasen leaned down to pat his head as he bit at his bottom lip, and then he finally turned his attention back to Rowan once more.
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