Facing the Frat Boy Ch. 07

"Whattup homie!" He said as he gripped onto his tall friend.

"Dude how's it going? This is the longest we've gone without seeing each other since middle school."

"I know! I just haven't had much time to visit, you know with-"

Chaz raised an eyebrow as he turned to Ryan. "Yeah I know." He said to his friend before meeting the younger boy with a handshake, "Really nice to meet you, man. This dude doesn't shut up about you." He said with the warmest smile.

Ryan returned it fully, "Nice to finally meet you too." Chaz nodded before walking over to the stove and helping himself to some food.

Levi's mom called out from the living room, "Chaz, honey, you're joining us tomorrow right?"

"Yes ma'am" He said before joining the boys back at the table.

"Chaz has spent every Thanksgiving with us since middle school." Levi explained to Ryan.

The tall boy nodded, "I swear my parents always have some weird plans that come up and so I always opt out and spend Thanksgiving here." He raised a fork, "Mrs. Truong's spread is next level. She makes it better than my white mom."

Ryan chuckled, "I'm looking forward to it. My fam usually goes pretty traditional so it'll be nice to have that this year."

"Play your cards right and you can eat for free here for the rest of your life." Chaz said with a wink as Levi shook his head.

"Is that why you're friends with me?"

Chaz shrugged, "Well it's not for your personality, that's for sure."

About an hour later, they heard people coming from the door. Levi got up quickly and opened it, just as two people walked in. The first was a very blonde, very pregnant, Natalie, Tanner's fiance. She was followed by the older version of Levi, carrying a bag from each finger before setting them down gently by the door.

"I told you to take two trips." She scolded as she took off her jacket.

"Nonsense, babe." The older guy said, in a voice that sounded a lot like Levi's. He turned to see his brother waiting by the door, "Besides, Lee here will be a good sport and bring all that up to the guest room."

Levi rolled his eyes as he pulled his brother into a hug, "Good to see you bro." He turned to his future sister-in-law, "Hi Nat, how's the little guy?"

"It feels like he's training for soccer." She said, pressing her hands against her stomach. Levi laughed as he picked up the bags as he pulled them down the hall. "Sorry about your brother" he heard her say as he shrugged it off.

Natalie walked over and greeted everyone before getting whisked away by Mrs. Truong right after Ryan introduced himself. "And so, the baby talk begins" Meghan groaned as she rolled her eyes.

Chaz and Meghan led Ryan outside just as Levi's dad took full inventory of the fridge and pantry, making sure they had everything for tomorrow's late lunch. The three sat just off the sliding door, bundling up with blankets and pillows as the night sky came into full effect. They chatted for a bit, mostly Chaz trying to get to know Ryan better before the two brothers walked outside, looking like a pair of twins- albeit one noticeably older than the other.

Tanner walked right up to Ryan and extended a hand, "Sorry I didn't get to properly meet you earlier, Mom and Dad just finished grilling me about how an apartment on the second floor isn't good for a newborn."

Ryan laughed as he shook his hand, "Haha it's no problem at all man. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise" the older guy said as he took the last empty chair. Levi walked over to the couch where Chaz and Ryan were sitting, forcing himself in between the two before his friend finally scooted over. Chaz rolled his eyes at his friend who felt the need to establish his dominance.

"I feel like I should send you a bill," Tanner said, looking at Ryan.

"Why's that?" the younger boy asked, confused.

"For every time that Levi's drunkenly called me up for advice about you."

Ryan could see Levi blush bright red out of the corner of his eye as he nearly spat out his drink. "Alright bro, you don't have to say any more." He said, like he was trying to diffuse a bomb.

Tanner shook his head with that same cocky smirk his brother wore so well, "You know Nat has to get up several times at night to use the bathroom, but she still hasn't bothered me as much as my brother." He said, looking over at Ryan, Chaz and Meghan. "I remember getting a call at 1 in the morning several weeks ago by a very drunk Levi, complaining about how you weren't answering his calls and probably hated him."

"Wait" Chaz said as he jumped in, "I'm pretty sure that's the same night he called me." He thought for a second, "He kept going on about how this person" he said, with air quotes, "was totally not interested but he couldn't get them off his mind." He pointed at Ryan, "It wasn't until a few days later when he told me that person was a dude and that they'd started dating."

Ryan couldn't believe what he was hearing. The guys and a very entertained Meghan continued to laugh as he looked over at Levi who was still recovering from dying of embarrassment.

The younger boy put his hands up like he was confessing to a joint crime. "Well, you guys didn't get to see me freaking out all those times I questioned whether he was actually into me." He said, truthfully. He felt those warm hazel eyes on him, and turned for a second to see a smile wash over that blushed face.

Levi found his confidence, "Not that it's any of your business" he said to his brother and best friend who'd ganged up on him, "but I was always into him."

Tanner nodded, "If there's one thing about my brother, it's that he knows what he wants and he'll do what he needs to in order to get it."

"Like when he convinced mom and dad to change our family trip from Florida to Hawaii." Megan said.

"In my defense, that trip was awesome!" The frat boy said, finding his voice again.

"Or when you somehow convinced Mrs. Baxter to let us house-sit for the weekend so we could throw a pool party Junior year."

He chuckled as he nodded to Chaz, "She still has no idea we did that."

Tanner pointed at Ryan, "Or in your case, when he needed to prove to the boy with the warmest eyes that he was serious about him."

Ryan pulled the boy into a half hug and squeezed him, "Well I'd say he did a good job at that." They kissed on the cheek while everyone just smiled.

Tanner took a sip of his drink and gestured to Meghan, "Now that Levi's off the market, I say we focus our attention on setting up little sis here. I'm gonna need some help in the grandchildren department since Levi's strictly dickly now."

"Shut up, bro!" Levi said as he hit Tanner with a throw pillow.

After another twenty minutes of shit talking, Tanner drank the last of his beer, saying, "Well I'm gonna go check on Nat." Meghan's phone went off around the same time and she rushed in after him to answer it. He looked over at the three boys, "You crazy kids have fun."

Levi looked around, "So what do you guys wanna do?"

Chaz scrolled through some of his missed texts, "There's a party over at West Beach if you guys wanna go. The rich kids bought a couple kegs to celebrate everyone being back for the weekend."

Levi nudged Ryan, "Do you wanna check it out? It'll be kids from our high school." He dropped his voice down, "We can totally stay in and tell Chaz to fuck off, so it's just you and me" he said in a sultry voice.

"I heard that, dumbass."

They chuckled as Ryan spoke up, "Yeah I'm down. Plus we can finally settle the debate of who has nicer beaches."

Chaz rolled his eyes, "Unless Guam beaches have drunk college kids and the faint scent of weed mixed with vape, I think you have us beat."

***

The three piled into Levi's car, not before the frat boy quickly handed the keys over to Chaz. He led Ryan to the backseat where they sat nearly on each other's lap while Chaz reluctantly got into the driver's seat.

"Really, bro?" The tall boy asked as he started up the car.

"It's been hours since I got to kiss my boyfriend so keep your eyes on the road unless you wanna see two dudes making out."

Chaz cracked a smile as he pulled off the sidewalk and drove towards the beach, giving the two lovers some privacy. The beach wasn't even that far- a near fifteen minute drive from Levi's place, but the two managed to nearly undo each other's shirts and leave Ryan's crop of curly hair in disarray.

Chaz cleared his throat as he put the car in park, leaving Levi no choice but to steal one last taste of those sweet lips. He pulled off as they all got down. Ryan wore an embarrassed grin as Levi took his keys back.

He nudged Chaz on the elbow, saying, "Hey sorry about that, man. We kinda had this plan to be good this weekend, but we couldn't help ourselves."

Chaz laughed as he patted Ryan on the shoulder, "It's no sweat dude, really. Plus he seems happy- like really happy."

Levi looked back at the two boys as he zipped up his jacket, "You two done talking shit about me or what?"

"Impossible" Ryan replied as they hurried up to catch him. Levi wrapped one arm around each boy as they walked down the paved pathway until it turned to sand, following the sound of top 40 hits as they got closer to the beach. The scene opened up just as they turned a corner, with a sizable crowd of people huddled around scattered bonfires with their red solo cups reflecting the lights. At a distance was the water, calmly swaying back and forth like the people who danced along to the beat.

Right as they were spotted, Levi was immediately pulled away by some old soccer buddies who quickly grabbed him for a round of shots.

Ryan took the opportunity to nudge Chaz as they poured their own beer, asking. "So, any exes or homophobes I should be on the lookout for?"

He took a sip, "Homophobes? Not likely." He scanned the beach, "There is a high chance we'll run into Levi's ex, Julie, but if there's any issue, he'll set her straight. She's not exactly the nicest person."

"He mentioned her- said they only dated like three months though."

"If you'd even call it that. He was pretty straight up with her about not wanting anything serious, but she kinda forced him into it. He went along, until he felt the need to break it off. I hear she's been bitter about it ever since."

Ryan sipped his beer, "I see."

"Levi doesn't bullshit."

"You're not wrong about that." The younger boy said.

Levi quickly re-joined them, pulling Ryan back into his embrace as he looked over at Chaz. "You're welcome by the way. I convinced those guys to let me take your shot cause I know you hate Jameson."

Chaz shook his head, "Best friend of the year, everybody."

The frat boy pulled Ryan by his hand and walked towards the crowd of guys still recovering from their shots. "Come here" he said as they got closer.

"Yo guys I didn't get to introduce you to my boyfriend." He took a step back like he was presenting a sculpture he'd just finished- one he couldn't have been more proud to call his own. "This is Ryan. He's from Guam and we met back at school."

Some of the guys weren't good at hiding their shock, while the others nodded like it was just another piece of info to file away into their brains. Ryan could hear a faint "oh fuck" as he shook their hands, all while Levi listed off names like he was taking attendance. To their credit, the surprise eventually wore off and they were talking to him like he was just a normal dude- not some guy who'd been dating the seemingly straight friend they assumed since high school.

After chatting for a bit, they walked over to find Chaz with another group of friends as they made their rounds. Ryan elbowed at Levi's side, asking, "Where's your head at?"

The older boy just smiled, "I can't say I'm a fan of the whole song and dance every time I have to introduce you to people or have to clarify that I like guys."

Ryan nodded, "Yeah unfortunately we're kinda stuck playing that game for a while."

Levi continued, "It's worth it." He stole another kiss from the boy, warming up his lips as the cool breeze of the ocean came through. "I do prefer ripping off the bandaid, though." He chuckled. "No sense in trying to sugar coat it for anyone."

Ryan nodded, still amazed at how easily the frat boy seemed to handle the whole situation. They mingled for another hour, with Ryan being presented like it was the best show and tell that Levi ever had. Some were better at hiding their surprise than others, but still no one said anything negative. One drunk girl that Levi claimed had the biggest crush on him in high school clapped her hands excitedly, saying, "So that's why you weren't into me- you were gay all along!" Levi was about to correct her when she hurried off to go puke in the bushes.

After a good laugh, they met up with Chaz who was talking to some girl. Ryan swooped in at the right time, proving himself to be a better wingman than either of them thought. Levi flashed both of them a wink before excusing himself to refill their cups.

Before he could even get to that never ending keg, he was stopped by a short brunette with olive skin and an expression that was a mix between intimidating and sweet. "I was hoping you'd come tonight."

The boy gave a polite smile but continued to refill the cups. "Oh hey." He managed, half paying attention. "Well Chaz saw that there was a party and I wanted to see my old friends."

Levi was smiling and, to the average listener, he even came off as his charming, usual self. But his use of "my" really stuck out to anyone that knew him.

The brunette continued, "I see that you've been parading that guy that you brought along."

Levi minced as he set the cups down, "He's not just some guy, Julie, his name's Ryan and he's my boyfriend." He said in the most calm, yet direct way he could.

"If you say so."

The boy quipped back, "And what's that supposed to mean?"

Julie rolled her eyes, "Come on, Levi, I know you. You like to play with things until you get bored of them." She said, reaching for his shoulder before he took a step back. "We both know this is some little college experiment. Next time you're home, you'll be bringing some girl around and we'll be right back where we started."

Levi washed away the smile from his face, saying, "First off, you don't know me. We dated for a bit, and then when I saw that you weren't the type of person I wanted to be around, I broke it off."

She looked like she was going to say something, but he cut her off.

"And this" he said as he pumped his chest with his fist, "This isn't some experiment. And I don't need to prove myself or my relationship to anyone at this fucking party, especially you."

The older boy stormed off before she could even reply. He walked quickly, keeping his eyes peeled for that light jean jacket that he knew so well because he'd had it wrapped around his arms every time Ryan looked a little cold. He slowed when he finally spotted Ryan and Chaz at one edge of the beach, chatting happily beside one of the still lit bonfires.

"What happened to our drinks?" Ryan asked, seeing that Levi had come back empty handed.

He just shrugged, "I was kinda hoping we could just go. I'm feeling kinda tired."

Chaz replied, "What do you mean, dude? It's barely 11"

Ryan couldn't see, but Levi shot Chaz a certain look that made the taller boy play along. Chaz stopped as he motioned for the older boy to hand over his keys. "Yeah okay, plus it's a big day tomorrow."

Confused at how quickly it changed, Ryan brushed it off and followed the two boys as they walked towards the pavement and back to the parking lot.

The drive back was a bit weird, with Levi and Chaz trying their best to keep up a conversation. In reality, it's like neither of them wanted Ryan to think that something was up, so much so that they were overcompensating.

When they got home, Chaz gave both of the boys a half hug along with a promise to be here bright and early tomorrow to help out. He got into his car, not before Ryan could see his boyfriend mouthing "thank you" to which he just nodded.

When they were alone, Ryan looked over, asking, "Are you gonna tell me what happened back at the beach?"

Levi sighed as he reached for his keys, "Let's go for a drive."

Not even five minutes after they got home, the two were on that same road driving back towards the beach. Ryan could see the scattered bonfires below, several feet away from the ocean that was pitch black, apart from the reflection coming down from the moon. But instead of turning back to the same parking lot, Levi took a left and drove a little further down, following a line of trees. He signalled left and pulled onto the center lane. Ryan looked, but couldn't even see something resembling a road. Still, Levi drove through the now apparent dirt trail as he wove through the trees with ease, having sobered up since they left.

Once their little excursion was over, Ryan looked to see a clearing with West Beach perfectly framed by the surrounding trees. He looked, barely able to make out the bonfires from this side. Instead, the ocean was the real focal point with the moon perfectly hung at the center.

Levi grabbed some blankets he'd kept stored in the backseat and scattered them across the bed of his truck. Once it looked comfy enough, he lied down, motioning for Ryan to do the same.

He leaned back, feeling the soft cushions as he cozied up to Levi. For good measure, the frat boy rested his head on the boy's shoulder, fitting together like a jigsaw puzzle that no one could manage to complete, until now.

"I'm really happy you came home with me" he said, leaving Ryan to look up at the stars that hung above them like pendant lights suspended from a black ceiling.

"Even before you mentioned not being able to go home, I always wanted to bring you here."

"It was always just a matter of time," Ryan said simply, as Levi turned to smile at him. "What happened earlier? Why were you in such a rush to leave?"

He sighed, digging his head deeper into Ryan's body. "I ran into someone who had some choice words about us."

Ryan paused, "...what did they say?"

"Nothing I want to repeat." the older boy explained, "Let's just say it's like hearing your deepest fears aloud- the ones that you hope will never come up from the doubtful parts of your head."

Ryan tried to process what he was saying, but he needed some help. As if on cue, Levi dug in, "This isn't some experiment to me Ry." He said, echoing Julie's words. "You and me? It's probably the most real thing I've ever had."

"Is that what this is about?" He asked, feeling the boy's racing heart as it did laps between them. "You're worried that some people think this is just a temporary thing?"

"Not some people, Ryan."

The younger boy paused. For a while, they seemed to be in this bubble where everything is positive and nothing seems to go wrong. But Levi's admission- the one that haunted him since the first time he ever opened up to the possibility of this being real, that brought up some old pain.

"I did think that." He corrected, "At first. But then you showed me that you were serious. Shit, every time the universe gave you a choice to prove that you were who I thought you were, you managed to do the exact opposite."

"I don't doubt you anymore, Levi." Ryan said simply, "I think, for a while, I was scared for this to be real because if it was, then there was a good chance I'd fuck it up."

Levi replied quickly, "You won't fuck it up." He flashed that killer smile that won Ryan over time and time again, "I won't let you."

The younger boy laughed as they lay there, listening to the rustling waves like they were carrying secrets across oceans. They eventually sat up, propping the blankets along the back of Levi's truck as they stretched their legs, continuing to watch the shore.

"I love you, Ryan." Levi said as the waves seemed to stop, almost like they were letting him speak.