Friends Before Lovers

The feeling of Daniel's warmth right next to me is both comforting and exhilarating, though there's still the tingling linger of the cold but it won't be long before it's completely replaced by the heat of both Daniel sitting right next to me and my hot chocolate. The whipped cream clings to my lips like a bushy mustache, the sweetness makes me nostalgic and feel like a child again. I was extremely close to snapping at everyone to speed up while I was getting my ass kicked by the cold, but luckily we made it just in time. I almost didn't even feel like telling Daniel how I feel about him with how irritable I was getting.

"Hey," Knox whispers, leaning over to me once Keita and Daniel break into conversation about workouts and olympic athletes. "How close were you to snapping?"

I do a side check to see if either Keita or Daniel are paying attention, they are too invested into their debate about protein powder. Then, with my fingers I signal how close, a slim line between my index finger and thumb.

He nods, an impressed smile on his face, "Good thing we got here just in time."

I take a large bite of my farmers wrap, the delicious bacon, egg, hashbrown, and sauce dancing in my mouth and making it water. I love Timmys, even though it's constantly getting more and more expensive, I still enjoy it and purchase some stuff from time-to-time. Though due to the prices, I don't buy Tims as much as I used to.

It's a bit before Keita and Daniel's conversations and debates end. Turning back to me, Daniel smiles solemnly, making me want to just grab his face and him right here and now. But I can't do that, it's too soon, plus I'm not even sure if we're official yet. Sure, we both admitted to being interested in each other, but that doesn't mean that we're together. Are we together?

"You're adorable," His deep voice makes my nerves turn to Jell-O, and I slouch with the increasing relaxation. I want to lay my head on his chest and gaze up into his deep, loving eyes.

"You're absolutely gorgeous," My voice cracks and Keita laughs softly in the corner of my eye. He's definitely going to make fun of me for the way I'm acting later, I already know the way he'll look at me and some of the things he'll say. Like repeating some of the things I say in a mocking voice, 'You're absolutely gorgeous. Oh I love you so much! Let's get married and gaze into each other's eyes for all eternity.' Though the thought of him mocking me kind of makes me smile, plus I can easily mock him about how energetic he gets about the debates he and him get into.

"What time is it?" Knox asks and Keita glances at his phone.

"Oh shit, we gotta go," Keita jumps to his feet, hastily throwing on his coat and backpack. "We have five minutes till the bell rings."

Simultaneously, we all hop up and throw on our coats. I throw out my garbage, cradling what's left of my hot chocolate, and with a deep breath, down every drop. Someone else paid for it so I'm sure as hell not going to waste it. Though even if I paid for it myself I still wouldn't have wasted it, Tim Hortons hot chocolate is delicious. Wasting even a drop of this delectable fluid is a crime against humanity.

"Come on, let's go," Knox grabs my hand and pulls me with him for a few seconds, suddenly stopping, focusing on Daniel behind me holding my bag. Old habits die fast. Hopefully Daniel won't take it the wrong way.

"Here you go," Daniel smiles down at me, sliding my bag straps around my shoulders. He then focuses on Knox, staring at him like he's examining the situation. A deep, dreadful lump appears in my gut as I wait for a response. Keita has already sprinted across the street, somehow not getting hit by a car. He was calling at us from the other side, but has noticed the two of them locking eyes and is watching silently, waiting for a response just like me.

I can't quite understand what Daniel's expression is. It's not a glare but he doesn't appear sad or happy either. Though I know exactly what Knox is feeling, he's terrified and knows he's fucked up. But it's not that bad, sure I know for a fact that I too would be jealous or suspicious if the girl best friend of a guy I like takes his hand, but I'd also ask him about it and think the best of it.

"Can I trust you?" He asks softly, his tone neither hurt nor stern and angry. This neutrality of everything is even more frightening than any other emotion I've ever seen. It's somehow even more terrifying than when Knox's dad is pissed off.

"I- um- yeah, of course," Knox sutters, leaning backwards like he's prepared to run away at any moment.

"Good," He smiles slightly and we cross the street. "I understand that you two are best friends, so I do my best to think the best of things. After all, I'm sure doing stuff like that is normal for you two since you spend most of your time single."

I understand and like that he's trying to be understanding, but that sounded kind of like an insult. To both of us. Though I shouldn't react to it, I might be taking it the wrong way or it just came out wrong. I bet I'd say the same thing as well if I were in his position, so it's really nothing that bad.

"Is that an insult?" Keita pipes up, his eyebrows furrowed and arms crossed.

"I know it sounds like that but I promise that it's not like that," Daniel reassures him.

"Oh yeah?" Keita growls, fully prepared to get into a fight all over again. Damn, even with how well they get along, he's still ready to defend me and Knox. Honestly, I can't help but feel even more respect for him. "Sure."

"Listen man-"

"No, no, no-"

"Keita! Daniel!" I shout their names, smacking Keita on the back and placing a hand on Daniel's shoulder. I don't want Keita to get in trouble. Sure, I like Daniel, but things are still new, it's not as big of a deal if I lose him. So Keita is my priority. "Listen, alright?" I grab hold of Keita's shoulders. We're definitely going to be late, but whatever, my teachers are chill. "I'm sure it just came out wrong, plus if I were in his position then I'd say the exact same thing. Alright, so just let it go and chill out before I drop kick your ass to the moon." They're both silent for a second, though only Daniel is shocked. So what if he sees this side of me? If he can't handle me being like this then he certainly wouldn't survive dating me. "Got it?"

Keita nods and I smack both of his shoulders, then we continue back to school in complete silence. Hopefully they will get over the tension, they really do get along amazingly and I'd hate to get in the way of their blooming friendship. Plus Daniel would be an amazing influence for Keita, even if Daniel is younger than him.

The late bell blares in the distance and we all sprint.