Re: [Outside the Rec Center.]
Not to sound too overconfident, but Noah, if he had to wager, would definitely bet that he could get Holly to like Jenga. But, like I said, maybe that was a little overconfident on his part. Still, it was hard to remain objective when riding on the eddies of other people's emotions, especially when you didn't know, necessarily, if they were other people's. The specificity of enjoyment—liking this—that made him think he was feeling how Holly felt, which didn't help with the overconfident thing. But, dude, Holly was right there, and it wasn't like Noah was trying to insinuate himself into... being needed by Holly. He wasn't trying to take advantage of anything here.
But, he was glad he was there. Holly opened his eyes, and they were dark and serious. Noah smiled, his own gaze shifting, raking down over familiar features that managed to be new in a weird way, back up, and then he spread his fingers for Holly. Holly looked, forgetting that he should pretend it was casual, and Noah couldn't help but reel him in, you know? There was a lot going on, and pressure mounting on every available surface, but that slip, the crack in Holly's armor, made Noah want him closer. He laughed a little guilty when Holly said one day, he'd have to let him look. "You can look, you can look." He said this, as Holly turned to look down the road. It was still empty. People only came this way when they were going south to the highway. Otherwise, it was easier to just cut through town and stay off the big roads.
Holly's gaze came back, and Noah smiled again, softer, edged in concern, because, if nothing else, dude, he felt for Holly. He had no choice but to feel for Holly. One more searching glance, and then Noah pulled the dude in the last inch between them, and hands still together, he kissed him. From him, it was gentle, without the abrasion of alcohol and too much time sitting on his hands. It wasn't the motel room. It was the few stolen moments in the bathroom dark and the blindness of the theater. Not careful. Not without heat. But, as gentle as it was firm. He'd planned on turning Holly around, still in an embrace, you know, but Holly leaning against him, and the dude could look at his hands like that. But, for a second, Noah forgot about that.—Still, he knew part of this venture, or whatever, to Holly, was to... idk, prove it wasn't just about sex, maybe? Something. And the kiss wasn't exactly sex. But, it was meant to offer comfort.