Page 17 of Dared

When I turned back to Finn, I found him watching me with a look I could only describe as fond. As we left the building, he pulled me into him again, ruffling my hair.

“I’m so fucking proud of you.”

“Thanks. I’m proud of me, too.” I was. It was such a small thing to most people, but it was a big deal to me.

Without even discussing it, we both headed back to Finn’s house, where his dad greeted us with warm hugs. “Evening, lads. Let me guess—gaming?”

“Always.” Finn opened the fridge, scanning the contents. “What do you want to drink, Leo? Beer? Coke? Juice?”

“Pass me a beer,” his dad said, holding out his hand expectantly.

“What am I, your waiter?” Finn tutted as he handed his dad the beer. His dad cuffed him around the head playfully.

“Less of your cheek, please. Follow Leo’s example. He’s the only one with manners out of the two of you.” He winked at me, and I felt a grin spread across my face.

“He’s right. You need to learn some manners,” I told Finn, and both he and his dad laughed. When we’d escaped to his room, beers in hand, he nudged me with his shoulder.

“You realise that you’re the favourite son now?”

“Maybe you should practise being more like me.”

His mouth dropped open in mock outrage. Grabbing my beer, he placed it on his desk along with his and then spun around to face me. “The betrayal!” He jabbed me in the chest. “I’m perfect, just the way I am.”

I shrugged, a smile curving over my lips. “There’s always room for improvement.”

“You—” Without warning, he shoved my chest, sending me falling back onto his bed, and then he jumped on top of me.We wrestled like how I imagined two friends would wrestle, not that I had any experience, laughing and playfully shoving at each other.

“I can’t…believe…you’re fighting me…because I told you…the truth,” I panted as he got me in a headlock. I threw my body back, trying to dislodge his grip, and everything came to a screaming halt.

There was something hard pressing against my ass, and I might’ve been inexperienced in all sex-related things, but I had a dick, and I instantly knew what I was feeling. I gasped at the same time Finn did, and we both scrambled away from each other. My face was on fire, and I didn’t dare to look at Finn, but I had no doubt his was, too.

“Shit. Shitshitshit,” he muttered to himself, all panicky breaths, making my heart rate go through the roof, and fuck, I needed to get out of there. It was the most awkward situation of both our lives.

“I…uh…essay. Forgot,” I managed, not even waiting for a response before fleeing his house like the coward I was. Was it a huge overreaction? Yes, but what were you supposed to say to your friend when they got a boner from play wrestling with you? Was it a normal thing?

Back in my student flat in my bedroom with the door safely locked behind me, I forced myself to look at the situation more logically. Of the two of us, Finn was probably feeling the most weird about it. He’d been the one with a hard-on.

I did what I usually did when I was at a loss—typed the symptoms into Dr. Google.

Is it normal to get hard when you’re wrestling?

My panic receded further as I scanned the results, finding that yes, it was a normal reaction for some people due to the stimulation or friction or whatever. Now, I just needed to keepthat in mind the next time I saw Finn. Fuck. It was going to be awkward either way. Maybe…

Switching on my computer, I loaded upLesath Legendsand then sent a text.

ME:

I’m online. Co-op battle for XP?

It took a couple of minutes, but then I received a thumbs up from Finn, and I jammed my headset over my mess of hair—speaking of, I seriously needed a haircut—and flipped on my mic.

“Hi.” Finn’s voice was low and more tentative than I’d ever heard it.

“Hi. Ready to go?”

“Yeah.” He cleared his throat. “Uh, sorry about earlier. I-I don’t—I didn’t?—”

The urge to reassure him came over me instantly. Was this how he felt when I was struggling to find the words? “It’s a normal thing. It’s the friction.” That was, hands down, the most uncomfortable sentence I’d ever forced from my mouth, but it had to be said.

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