Page 51 of The Step Dare

He shakes his head. “It’s definitely not a crush because it can’t be.”

What a weird thing to say.

He goes on, “Because we agreed we don’t want to make shit weird for our parents.”

Again, I’m thrown.

“Wait,” I say. “That wouldn’t prevent you from having a crush. That would just prevent you from acting on it.”

As the words come out of my mouth, I feel like I’m finally catching up.

Does Brenner really have a crush on me? The thought stirs a warm sensation that radiates in my chest.

As I reflect on the past few weeks especially, I recognize a lot of the sensations I’ve felt—the closeness, the eagerness to see him. I haven’t let myself label it, maybe because I knew Brenner doesn’t have those kinds of feelings, but now that he’s said the word, it’s like for the first time I’m letting myself admit that my own feelings have been more than just enjoying spending time with my buddy. And maybe I’ve been a little foolish thinking buddies hold each other as close as we’ve held each other until they fall asleep. A part of me can’t believe it’s possible, but as our gazes meet again, the realization hits me like a brick.

“Fuck,” is all I can think to say.

He winces. “Was that supposed to make me feel better?”

I laugh, then fight against it.

“Oh, and now you’re laughing again?” He moves closer. “Dude, not cool,” he says, reaching up and pushing his fingers under my arms for a tickle.

“Fuck you.” I pull away and lean back against the wall across from his door.

“You know damn well I’m a catch,” he says, sounding more like his usual playful self as I resist his tickles. It takes me a moment to deflect his attempts before I reach under his shirt and give him a taste of his own medicine by playing around his abs. Now we’re both bending over, twisting our bodies as we try to evade each other’s hands, until we’re on the floor.

I manage to grab hold of his wrists and pin them against the floor, struggling against him, though I can tell he’s given up.

“So you have a crush on me?” I ask, and his cheeks flush red, a rare occurrence for Brenner.

“You’re being so cringe right now.”

He tries to pull away, but I grip his wrists tighter, keeping him in place.

“I’m about to be more cringe,” I add, “because I might have a crush on you too.”

Did I really just say that? I mean, it’s kind of true. This is how I’ve felt before when I’ve dated girls in the past.

He smirks. “Might?”

“I’ve only had this new information for a few seconds, so I’m gonna need to sort through it a little more, but yeah. I’ve been enjoying what’s been happening the past few weeks, but I haven’t let myself think too much about it. It’s definitely crush territory, something I’m more familiar with.”

I notice a shift against my crotch, where I’m straddling his waist. “You getting hard right now?”

“You’re on my crotch, pinning me to the floor, so what do you think?”

I lean close, my lips an inch from his mouth. I roll my hips, stroking against his boner. “Feels like I’m getting you back for all those times you were walking around in your briefs, with them tucked down so I could see your crack, you fucking tease.”

“Whatever. Like I haven’t been thinking about how it’d feel to have your cock filling me up ever since I watched you fuck Dax.”

We stare into each other’s eyes until I finally crush my lips against his, feeling the burst of relief as I cave to what my body’s been hungry for since we started denying each other.

“You…don’t think…this is a shit idea?” he fights to say between kisses.

“Probably,” I manage to say before sealing our kiss again.

I’m like a fucking animal as Bren’s tongue slips into my mouth, greeting mine as they play in a frenzy, taking away all the tension that started as soon as he came home.

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