Alex laid on his bed, letting the sound of Blink 182 drown out the sound of the raindrops falling heavily from the sky. The rain had been steadily falling for two days, showing no signs of letting up. Though it was still comforting, he missed the rays of sunshine welcoming him in the morning. After all, what else was a sixteen-year-old boy to do on a rainy Summer day? He wanted to call and invite his friends over, hit the water, or go on one of their wild adventures. Alex sighed, and turned over in his bed. He smiled faintly, singing along with his favorite band.

"I will go down as your lover, your friend. Give me your lips, and with one kiss, we begin."

Jack Barakat was soaking wet by the time he made it to Alex's house. The rain was still warm, and although the sky was still dark, the thunder and lightning had let up. He grinned to himself and pushed his hood back, letting himself in. The cool air inside the house made him shiver, but it was the sound of Alex singing from his bedroom upstairs that really gave Jack the chills. Would it be weird for him to be here again? Would Alex want to pretend that the events from last night never occured, or would he welcome Jack with open arms? Whatever the case, Jack had to know. He creeped up the stairs and stopped just outside of Alex's room, smiling more as Alex's sweet voice filled his ears.

"Are you afraid of being alone? 'Cause I am. I'm lost without you."

Jack poked his head through the door, seeing Alex curled up on the bed with his eyes closed. That was one of his favorite things about Alex- The way he could so easily get lost in words, so long as they connected to his soul. He always seemed so peaceful when a melody would begin, like he was being carried away to another universe, one without pain or suffering. Jack wanted more than anything to travel with Alex, to be away from the stress of everyday life.

"Knock, knock," Jack spoke softly, not wanting to scare his best friend. "Can I come in?"

Alex jumped a little, his eyes fluttering open. At first, he seemed confused to see Jack dripping wet in his doorway, but his confusion faded to a smile. Pushing himself up with his elbows and nodded.

Jack kicked off his shoes and pulled his hoodie away from his body. Aside from his jeans, he was fairly dry. He carried his lanky body to the bed, sitting on the edge of it and smiling brightly at Alex. Knowing that he was still welcome in Alex's room, along with the comforting smile on his face, made Jack feel more confident.

"I didn't think you'd come out in this rain," Alex confessed, sitting all the way up so he was beside Jack. "Look at you, you're soaked."

"Not really, just my jeans," Jack smiled. "I know you like to sleep in when it rains. I didn't want to bother you."

"Yeah," Alex nodded, twisting his hands together.

"This isn't awkward, is it?" Jack questioned, his dark eyes running over Alex's face. "Because if it is, I can go..."

"No, don't go," Alex smiled slightly, putting his hand on Jack's wet leg. "It's not awkward, I just don't know what to say or do."

"You could try talking to me," Jack suggested, feeling butterflies in his stomach. Alex's hand was warm against his thigh. "Just tell me what you're feeling."

"I'm not- I'm not gay, Jack. I mean, I've got Lisa to think about, my parents, and our friends.. I really like her, Lisa. But I really love you."

Jack's heart hit the ground, and the butterflies dancing around his belly exploded into rabid bats. He put his head down, staring at the floor. He didn't know what he came over here looking for. Maybe for Alex to be just as ready to jump into this thing, whatever it was, as he was.

"Don't be upset, dude. I'm just confused."

"I don't know what you want from me then, Al. You know how I feel, I've got nothing more to offer you."

"I don't want anything to change between us, but I don't want you to get the impression that I'm ready to drop everything and change my life for you, either. I really just want to be able to do this, without feeling bad about it."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Alex tilted Jack's face up so he could stare into those dark brown eyes. It was apparent that in the five minutes of conversation they'd just stared, Alex managed to break his heart a little more. But he'd fix it, because he always did. He offered Jack a gentle smile and ran one of his calloused fingers over Jack's cheek. It was smooth from recent shaving.

Alex leaned in a bit, letting his hot breath linger on Jack's lips. He had to remind himself that doing this with Jack would be no different than doing it with a girl- That he wasn't going to be bad at it just because it was with someone of the same sex. Jack closed his eyes, silently begging Alex to fill the gap, and that was all it took for Alex press his lips to Jack's once again.

It felt different this time. More real. It wasn't like any other kiss Alex had ever had. He was willing to taste his friend, to glide with the natrual feeling of his lips, instead of the familiar feeling of gloss some girl had caked on. Their lips moved together perfectly, parting and meeting at all the right times. Alex could feel his lungs losing air, but he wasn't ready to stop. He wrapped his fingers through Jack's hair, pulling his friend closer to his body. Sparks were shooting from his feet to his head, the sensation was absolutely magical.

When Alex pulled Jack closer, the younger boy took full advantage of this moment, fearing that Alex would snap of it and never want to be near him again. He pushed Alex down with slight force, never breaking the kiss, and climbed on top of him. Jack could feel Alex's chest moving mor rapidly, he was running low on air. It nearly killed him to do so, but Jack pulled his face away from Alex's, staring into his chocolate eyes with a longing expression. Alex took a moment to take in more air, and before Jack could even shift his weight, Alex connected them again.

They were growing more hungry, more passionate. Tugging on each other's shirts, and pulling strands of hair. They wanted each other. Jack opened his mouth a little more, letting his tongue race across Alex's bottom lip, where the boy quickly met his desire with his own tongue. Jack moaned slightly as Alex pulled him closer, thrusting their hips together with a grunt. Jack's hands began to roam Alex's body, his fingers running from his hair to his hips, reaching around slightly to grip his ass.

Alex pulled their lips apart, jumping to Jack's touch. He was scared of what might happen next, simply because it was something he never thought he'd try. Alex stared into Jack's eyes for a moment, lusting at the way his younger friend chewed on his lip. It was never something he found attractive, until now. He smiled, feeling more than ready to let Jack take over his body. Alex squirmed a little, pulling on the edge of Jack's shirt, but just as he was about to toss it to the side, a voice downstairs made Jack jump so hard that he was totally off of Alex now.

"Who is that?" Jack whispered, silently cursing the stranger. His heart was racing, and even at this moment, he wanted to close the door and finish what he'd started with Alex.

"I don't know, I didn't invite anyone over today," Alex whispered back, his own frustration showing. He sat up again, fixing his hair so it seemed nothing had happened.

"Alex!" The voice called from down the stairs. "Wake up, douchebag! I brought Zack with me, and we're inviting Jack over whether you like it or not!"

Even in the middle of this mess, Jack found happiness in knowing that his friends were still willing to be his friends, even after they witnessed Alex throwing him out. Jack grinned, and pulled Alex by the hand. He opened the window silently and motioned for Alex to follow him.

"Jack, are you nuts?" Alex whispered loudly, watching the rain falling from the roof. "I haven't done this in years. We'll fall!"

Jack simply smiled. It's true, it has been years since the two of them had to sneak out and meet up. Eventually their parents figured out they couldn't keep the two apart, not even at two in the morning on a school night, and let them start sleeping over. Jack slowly pushed open the window further and crawled outside, offering his hands to Alex.

"I know you're not ready for anyone to know about us, so come on. It'll be a lot less obvious is we frolic in the rain. That's expected of us."

"But it's dangerous, dude. We will seriously fall."

"Do you trust me?" Jack breathed through the rain. He was soaked again.

"Yeah, I guess."

"Then give me your hand."

Alex was still unsure, but when he heard the sound of Rian's feet growing closer to his room, he reached out for Jack's hand. The two boys quickly moved away from the window, making sure they had a grip so they wouldn't slide off the roof. Alex laughed silently, his hair sticking to his face. Jack pulled him closer to the edge, their feet now dangling over the roof. They turned their bodies around and slid off the edge, their fingers slowly losing grip of the shingles. Jack smirked, swinging his body slightly so that he could kiss Alex's cheek, and let go of the roof. With a small thud, Jack's laughter echoed through the empty backyard. He smacked Alex's foot and took off running through the yard.

Alex exhaled slowly and took a leap of faith. When his feet firmly hit the ground, he mocked Jack's laugh and took off running after the younger boy. The grass was slick, making their feet slip and slide all over the grass. Alex was gaining on Jack, and just as he was within grasp, he heard his two other friends screaming from the house.

Zack was the first to run out in the rain. He tossed his arms in the air and yelled against the drops. Rian quickly followed, stomping in a mud puddle close enough to Zack so that his jeans were covered in the dirt. Rian snickered and leaned down, picking up a big clump and tossing it in Zack's face.

"Mud fight!"

Alex knew his time alone with Jack was limited, so he put a kick in his step and tackled the tall boy from behind. Jack his the ground with laughter, puddles of water flying all around them. He rolled over, tossing Alex to the side and picked up a fist full of mud. He smeared it down Alex's face and giggled childishly.

"Brown is totally your color," Jack snickered, trying to crawl away from Alex before he could gather his own mud. "It looks great!"

"You're a dead man, Barakat!"

"You wouldn't kill me," Jack called behind him. He pulled himself off the ground and prepared to run for his life. "You love me too much!"

"You're right," Alex stood up now, his hand filled in mud. He smirked, lifting his hand up high. "I do love you, but you're still dead!"