Dylan’s parents fussed and took pictures while he reconsidered this whole thing. At least he’d convinced them to let him drive—alone—and not come along to Sakura’s house.
Dad fiddled with the little flowers pinned to Dylan’s jacket, and Dylan pushed his hand away. “Stop it. It’s fine.”
“Just want to make sure you look good.” Dad was grinning. “This is so exciting.”
“It’s just a stupid dance.”
“Please don’t say that to Sakura,” Mom said. “This probably means a lot to her. So be nice. And compliment her. And at least dance with her to a few songs.”
Dylan sighed. “Yeah, fine.” Mom had given him some dance instruction, which he suffered through only because he didn’t want to step on Sakura’s feet. “I should go so we’re not late.”
He escaped the house after a few more pictures and drove to Sakura’s house. Dylan had never been there before and triple-checked the address before going up to the front door. It opened seconds after he knocked.
“Hi, Dylan.” Sakura’s dad smiled, but it looked a little strained. Was this about Dylan being… well, Dylan, or was this about a boy taking his daughter to prom? He would have assumed the first reason if it was anyone else, but Sakura was cool enough that he wanted to give her dad the benefit of the doubt.
Her mom seemed more genuine. Clasping her hands to her chest, she said, “Oh, you look so handsome! Come in, come in. I’ll go get Sakura.”
The moment she was gone, Sakura’s dad turned to him. “I hope you’ll behave yourself.”
In which way? Dylan decided to be blunt. “I’m not going to have sex with her.”
The man’s face went red, caught somewhere between anger and embarrassment. “Well, uh… that’s good to know.”
Sakura’s mom hurried in, a wide smile on her face. “Come on. I want pictures of her coming down the stairs.”
Dylan winced a little as he realized there’d be more pictures, a lot of them from the look on her face. Schooling his expression, he followed Sakura’s mom around the corner to the living room.
Sakura’s mom picked up a camera. “Okay, ready.”
Sakura appeared at the top of the stairs, and she looked beautiful. She wore a light pink dress with layers of flowy material that went down to her ankles. It also covered most of her boobs although the neckline and sleeves were sheer. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to see more or not. He was still trying to wrap his head around Sakura being his date.
The camera flashed with every step she took. Sakura looked at Dylan with a shy smile, and his stomach fluttered. She was the same girl from gym, but with her hair done up and wearing a dress, she looked so different. The swirling jewels across the top of her dress sparkled as they caught the light.
“You look really pretty,” he told her.
“Thank you.” She got to the bottom of the stairs. “You look really handsome.” She gazed up at him with a blush, and his heart did a weird little flip.
“Oh, look at you! What a lovely couple.” Flash, flash, flash.
After several dozen more pictures, they finally made it out of the house.
* * *
Excitement and nervousness fluttered in Aiden’s stomach. He pushed back a flicker of guilt at lying to his parents. They dropped him off, thinking he was hanging out with Tiago, nothing more.
“No pressure, remember?” Tiago squeezed his hand as they sat on the bed.
“I know.” Aiden licked his lips, face heating. “But what if I… if I’m not good?”
“I’m sure you will be.” Those deep, dark eyes fixed on him. “But if you make a mistake, if it’s a little awkward… Well, that’s what practice is for.”
Aiden swallowed. “You mean we’ll do it again?”
Tiago bent to kiss his neck. “Uh-huh. Lots of times.”
Aiden moaned and slid his hands around Tiago’s back. Oh yes, lots of practice sounded wonderful. Tiago’s lips felt electric against his skin, and Aiden wanted to return the favor. He trailed his lips and tongue along Tiago’s neck, earning little surprised gasps out of his boyfriend. But there wasn’t enough skin, so Aiden pulled off Tiago’s shirt.
For a moment Aiden admired the muscles along Tiago’s chest and abs. Aiden could hardly believe someone this gorgeous wanted to be with him. He kissed Tiago’s shoulder and slowly worked his way down.
“Aiden.” Tiago panted. “God, that feels good.”
It thrilled Aiden that he could make Tiago react like that, could make his breath come faster and his body tense. Every gasp and moan heated Aiden’s blood even more. He likes the way I make him feel. He wants me.
Then they were kissing, touching each other everywhere. Aiden was barely aware of Tiago stripping off his shirt, but desire flared through his body when their bare skin touched. Aiden pushed Tiago down on the bed, an ache building between his legs.
Tiago’s hands moved along his back, fingers occasionally digging in. Aiden kissed him deep, their tongues sliding against each other, hot and wet. Tiago lifted his hips, rocking against Aiden.
Aiden pulled away to suck in a breath. His body tingled everywhere, mind spinning with possibilities.
This time they wouldn’t have to stop.
God, he wanted this so much. Even if he was still a little afraid, he trusted Tiago to show him what to do.
Tiago slid a hand along the back of Aiden’s head. His brown eyes were so dark, pupils almost swallowing the irises. “What do you want?”
Aiden told him.