“Mum, Nick, I’m back! Ed's with me too,” Seb called out as he and Edmund entered the house.

“Hmm, welcome home!” Emily greeted from her office. “Don't forget to take off your shoes.”

“It’s not like they’re muddy,” Sebastian muttered, even as he moved to remove the sneakers to put them on the shoe rack.

“Dinner’s almost ready!” Nick yelled from the kitchen.

“Ah, I can already smell the pepperoni. I’m starving,” Edmund stated.

Sebastian chuckled. “Well, if you want the first slice, you’re going to have to beat me to the kitchen.”

“Wha- hey! Don't just run in your socks, you’re going to slip!” Ed scolded, even as he hypocritically ran after Seb in his own slippery socks.

“Careful,” Nick warned as the pair rushed through the kitchen door. “Nearly eighteen and still acting like you’re eight. I know I said I hoped you never grew up, but I meant you should have stayed sweet innocent kids.”

“When have these to ever been innocent?” Emily asked in a teasing tone.

Seb rolled his eyes. “Ed was innocent once. Then I became his best friend.”

“True, true. At least Edmund has had enough sense to keep the both of you alive these past years. Heavens know what would have become of you,” Emily mused.

“Hey! I’m not innocent, but I’m not an idiot either.”

“I never said you were, dear. Did you put Bruce outside?”

“Oh, yeah, he was growling at Edmund.”

Emily made a puzzled face. “That doesn’t sound like Bruce. He was also giving him that death stare this morning.”

“Maybe he was just in a mood or something,” Sebastian suggested, though he didn’t believe so himself.

Bruce was the kind of dog who never caused trouble without reason. Even if the basset hound was getting on in years at this point, he’d always been the kind of dog that could sense things long before anyone else. However, he’d known Edmund since he was a pup, why suddenly start growling now?

“Well, dwelling on it isn’t going to help. Let’s eat,” Nick proposed as he placed the first pizza on the table.

From there, the four forgot about their worries, and just enjoyed their casual family dinner together. After they had had their fill and talked awhile, Ed finally said he had to go home. As usual, Emily and Nick offered for him to stay the night, and he politely declined. So, Sebastian walked him out to his truck.

Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!

The cool night air against Seb’s arms made his skin prickle slightly. Although there were a few street lamps in the town, he was still able to look up and see a beautiful multitude of stars littering the night sky. Not nearly as many as he would be able to see if they were at Edmund’s house, but all the same, they gave him an unexplainable feeling of joy in his soul.

“The stars look incredible tonight.”

“You always say that,” Edmund replied. “Though... I suppose you have a point tonight. There's something different...”

Sebastian raised an eyebrow and looked to his friend to ask what the hell he was going on about, but he stopped himself when he caught a glimpse of Ed in the pale moonlight. His caramel-brown skin seemed to almost glow, and his spiky brown hair looked softer than normal. His light brown eyes were shining in a way that Seb had never seen before. As if there was some kind of golden light at the edges. There really was something different about tonight, though it wasn’t exactly in the stars. In fact, here and now, Eddie looked like he could outshine the whole of the night sky, in Sebastian’s humble opinion.

“Why are you staring at me?” Edmund asked, pulling Seb back to the moment.

He shrugged. “Can’t I admire the way you look underneath the moonlight?”

Ed averted his eyes in a flustered manner. “Don’t say things like that.”

“Why not? They’re true and they make you flustered, which only adds to your beauty.”

“If I’m beautiful, then you must be drop-dead gorgeous.”

“What? Are you trying to flirt with me, Eddie?”

“You started it, Gorgeous.”

Sebastian suddenly felt very aware of how close they actually were to each other. Edmund was barely a hand’s length away from him. He could feel the warmth of their breaths mingling between them. He didn't miss how Ed’s eyes also glanced down and noticed their current proximity. Somehow, it felt close, but not yet enough. Seb wanted to reach out and pull them closer till they were literally pressed against each other.

Edmund moved forward and Sebastian felt his heart skip a beat. Was he going to actually do it? Would he bring them together in the way that Seb wanted? He didn’t move for fear of ruining the moment. And then his heart fell slightly with disappointment as Ed pulled away suddenly.

“I should go now.”

“Eddie--”

“Thanks for dinner.”

Sebastian sighed internally. “Anytime. Literally. My parents love having you here more than they love having me.”

Edmund laughed. “Goodnight. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yeah, night. Text me when you get home.”

“I will.”

Finally, Ed started his truck and drove off, out of town and back down the dirt road to his house. Sebastian sighed and looked up at the full moon. He wondered briefly why he felt so upset that something unexpected hadn’t happened.

In all the years they had known each other now, Edmund hadn’t shown any signs of romantic attraction. Not any Seb had seen anyway. He had been pining for years now but was too much of a coward to do anything about it for fear his feelings would really be one-sided.

They were friends, best friends, and that had been enough. So why did he still feel disappointed that something hadn’t happened tonight of all nights?

What did he even want? A kiss? A confession? A hug?

Sleep. He wanted a good long sleep. After last night and everything that had happened today, he really needed a decent hibernation. That should get his mind back to normal. First, though, he would wait for Edmund’s text that he got home safe. Till then, he’d snack on those brownies from this afternoon with a nice warm cup of milk.