"I got an offer yesterday," James said, making Kenneth look up at him. They were at the local café together and had just finished practicing for their graduation performance.

"Oh," Kenneth replied, blinking before he looked on at games. "Where?"

"In France," James said casually before picking up his cup of coffee and taking a sip. They had gotten bread cakes and muffins. The café smelled of fresh baked goods and coffee. The place was empty apart from them and a girl at the far end corner typing into her laptop with a noisy keyboard.

"That's good news. France is great," Ken said. I'll be going there too. He wanted to say, but he kept it to himself. It wasn't like James would want to meet up or anything. They weren't that close. "Congrats." His voice was small and sounded strained and unenthusiastic. Kenneth knew he should be happy for James, but with every news, he was reminded that graduation was so close, and Kenneth wasn't sure if he was ready to let go.

"Are you okay?" James asked, making Kenneth blink back when he realized he had zoned out. Kenneth sat up straight, nodding and sighing before he took a hold of his coffee mug. He hoped holding on to something would make his hands less shaky, but he had been wrong. They only made them warm.

James didn't look convinced at Kenneth's answer, but he didn't say anything and just kept sipping his coffee. Kenneth looked up at James. He stared at him as if staring at him would keep him close by forever.

"Kenneth," James called out again after deciding he couldn't just ignore Ken's brooding. "Something is wrong, isn't it?" he said, and Kenneth looked down at the brown coffee in his mug. He stared at the swirl of cream, unsure of how to put his thoughts into words in a way that he didn't come of as desperate.

But he was desperate.

"It doesn't matter." He let go of his mug before covering his forehead with his hands as he tried to force himself to smile—it wasn't working. James frowned at him, staring at him with a mixture of worry and confusion.

"Do you want to go somewhere else to talk?" James asked, and after some hesitation on Kenneth's part, he agreed.

"Okay then, when we're done with our coffees," James said, and the two hurried up. They left the café after paying, and when they walked out into the roads the drizzle had started to get their hair and clothes damp. They walked in silence, and from time to time Ken would look over at James. The man's ginger hair looked darker when wet. A sincere smile made its way to Kenneth's lips as he watched James try to stop strands of his wet hair from sticking on his forehead.

James started to hum a song, and Kenneth looked away when he realized that he had been caught staring. He did that a lot now—stare at James, that is. Kenneth looked out into the open roads instead, trying to figure out where they were going. He wasn't sure where James was taking him, but all he knew was that he wanted to be around the man that tugged at his heartstrings. Time was passing by quickly, and sooner than later he wouldn't have the opportunity to be around him like this anymore.

"We're here," James said, stopping on his tracks. His yellow shirt was stained with drops of water, and his wet hair that was dripping a stream down his neck wasn't helping matters. Kenneth stopped beside him, frowning in confusion when he looked at the children's playground in front of them. The drizzle was still ongoing, and there were no children in sight.

"Come on," James said, taking hold of Ken's hand and giving in a tug. Kenneth's eyes went wide, and his legs started to move on their own, following James along. James stopped by a park bench, and they both took a seat. They both stared into the playground not saying anything for minutes. The sound of the breeze carrying the drizzle and swaying tree leaves washed over them. Some birds flew over and started tweeting, and Ken let out a small chuckled when James kicked dirt when a pigeon walked by.

"Well, talk," James said. Kenneth was still looking down at the hand James had grabbed. He opened and closed it into a fist a few times and he thought about it. He had it bad—so bad, and he wasn't sure whether he should laugh or be horrified about being so in love.

"I—" Kenneth started saying, opening his mouth before closing it again. What was he supposed to say? That he loved James and didn't want them to drift apart? That he was just being emotional for no reason and James should just ignore him? What to do. Kenneth wondered, playing with his fingers as he tried to decide.

"Ken." Kenneth's eyes went wide when he felt James' hand on his thigh. His touch was light. Kenneth didn't know what to say so he just stared down at James' pale hand with long slender fingers. "What is it?" James' asked, making him blink.

"Don't... don't freak out," Kenneth started. His voice was shaky, and he took in a breath of relief when James agreed not to.

"I'm in love with you. Y-you know that, don't you?" he stuttered, looking up to examine James' face for a reaction.

It was reactionless.

"Are you... are you just going to stare at me?" Kenneth asked, feeling disturbed by James' emotionless gaze. He wished he could read the man. He was anxious not knowing what was going through James' head. Kenneth wanted to get up and walk away, but James' hand was still on his thigh.

"I—I love you so much—shit," Kenneth cursed through clenched teeth and a cracked voice. He tried to stop himself from shaking, but he couldn't. Why isn't James saying anything? He wondered, looking over at James to find the man staring down at the yellow dirt.

What is he thinking about? Kenneth wondered. James suddenly looked up, giving Kenneth a small smile before reaching out for one of his hands and giving it a small squeeze. Kenneth didn't have much time to react, considering how fast James moved from doing that to leaning in. The kiss was soft—brief, but Kenneth could still feel the tingle in his lips when James pulled away. He stared at the man's eyes, and then at his lips. Kenneth wanted to say something, but there felt like there was a lump in his throat, so he just stuttered something incoherent until James shut him up with another kiss.

This one was deeper.

Longer.

They pulled away again, and stared at each other, moving closer on the bench before leaning in to taste each other's lips. Kenneth found the courage to reach out for James' face. He let his fingers feel James' skin and jaw, and soon his fingers were buried in the man's red locks. Kenneth wasn't sure why James' was kissing him, but what he did know was that he wouldn't have it any other way.

He wished they'd never stop kissing, and they didn't until the light drizzle turned into a shower of water.