Re: [Outside the Rec Center.]
Holly said he knew when people wanted him. He said that the Jack Bar-Dude didn't, and that he knew it, in spite of everything the dude offered for no discernible reason. Noah wasn't as convinced, obviously, because... uh, hello, but, unlike most other people, he actually had a pretty foolproof way of knowing these things. He didn't know about the Jack dude, because he hadn't been picking up enough last night, but, when it came to himself, Noah knew his 'objective' appeal. That said, to be fair to him, not everyone who looked at him wanted him. Not that that really was the reason behind his wanting to be seen either. But, from what Holly had said the night before—'I see you'—Noah thought he got it, at least a little.
Holly took the aspirin, and Noah smiled at him. He felt the scuds of gratitude, the surprise at having caught the bottle. He watched Holly down his water bottle, and he really wanted to lean against the dude. So he kind of did. Shoulder butted shoulder, and Noah just laughed when Holly said he, Noah, couldn't decide what Holly charged for. He remembered the bathroom, dude. Not with perfect clarity, obviously, but—but, they were moving beyond it, tipping into more serious conversation. Holly was talking about his grandpa, and Noah looked at him, watching Holly's face. "Yeah." Noah had never really had anyone tell him what to do, aside from the five or six times in her life his mom decided to be his mom. He got why it could probably be kind of nice, even if it was a little chafing. "It'd still be weird though," was his helpful contribution. "It's good he wants better for you."
Noah didn't think he needed any straight dude lessons. His expression said as much, even as his mind lagged behind, as he'd been trying to figure out if the desire to touch his scar was his own or not. "It's just a car, dude." People would read into it, but Noah didn't care about that much. "You don't have a fridge, right? I still have my mini one from school. I was going to bring it. Do you want it? I won it at the raffle senior year, so it's pretty good quality and everything." Noah smiled, expectant, even after he slid his arm around Holly's shoulders and cinched the dude to his side.—Okay, Holly was staring at him, practically with his jaw on the ground, but, Noah wasn't thinking about how dangerous anything was. He was enjoying the eruption of butterflies—right up until Holly pulled his arm down and away, and Noah frowned a little. "I'm not going to lose my job." He looked through the tilt of his bangs. He looked at curious eyes gone serious and narrow. "You wanted me to hold your hand." He'd gone for more, right? Noah had. "I like being close to you and you feel good, so." He sighed a little and wiggled his fingers, the ones recently relinquished. "Can we at least hold hands then?"