First Kiss: Pudge And Ronny, Chapter 29

Neither of them seemed to know what to say after that. Pudge thought about the note, about how wrong he had been about Ronny, and apparently about Suzie too. The note reminded him of something else.
"Ronny, did you really keep the bible I gave you, all those years ago?" he asked.
Ronny's olive skin started turning a darker shade of red. "Well, um, yeah. I mean, my friend gave that to me. So...yeah, I kept it."
"But you didn't keep anything from any of our other friends, did you?"
Ronny thought of the gospel tract from Ace that he had thrown in the garbage last week. "Hell, no," he rolled his eyes, before realizing that he had just cussed in front of Pudge. "I mean, you're much more bearable than the others. You always have been."
"Oh."
Pudge sounded disappointed. Ronny had to be imagining it, though. He spied the paper that Pudge had brought with him, fallen on the floor and forgotten. "So you...you saved my drawing?" he asked tentatively. "Or was that just to show me...?"
"Yeah," Pudge replied, a little too casually. "Yeah, I saved it."
They both looked up from it at the same time, and caught each other's eyes. They stared into each other's gazes for a long moment, wondering if they really saw what they thought they saw.
After a long while of this, Ronny tentatively leaned forward, just a few inches. Pudge could lean away, and pretend it was nothing on Ronny's part, or...
Pudge hesitated, then also leaned forward. They were sitting about a foot away from each other, close but still conceivable for mere friends to sit at that distance.
His heart racing, Ronny leaned even closer, nearly holding his breath. Their faces were almost touching now.
They stayed that way for a brief moment. Then, realizing it was up to him to make this happen, Pudge closed his eyes and met Ronny's lips with his own.
Pudge didn't know what to expect from his first kiss, but he had not been expecting this. He knew seeing fireworks only happened in cartoons, but he couldn't really feel what was going on in his face, over the pounding of his heart and the shaking of his hands.
Ronny had never expected to kiss a guy, much less tonight, and kissing Pudge! It felt weird, to be kissing a man, and yet his heart was pounding and he felt the exact same way, in his body, that he had felt when kissing girls. This was perhaps more intense though, because of who this guy was.
It lasted a few long seconds, then they broke apart, Pudge moving away from Ronny a few inches on the couch. Both of them were panting, shocked at what had happened, and yet...
They stared at each other, open-mouthed...then the slightest hint of a surprised smile played across Ronny's lips. Pudge started to return it, then was delighted when Ronny's smile deepened. Ronny was looking at Pudge with pure joy and delight, and Pudge couldn't help but return it. They started to laugh softly.
Ronny shook his head. "I never thought..."
"Me either!" Pudge exclaimed.
"Do you, uh, do you want to...come over...again...s-sometime?" Ronny asked, looking at the ground, unusually bashful for him.
"Yeah. Yeah, I'd really like that," Pudge answered, moving his hand closer to Ronny's.
Ronny moved his own hand until they were just touching, side by side. Pudge moved a few fingers on top of Ronny's hand. Ronny turned his hand over, palm up, and soon their fingers were intertwined.
They stayed like that a long while, not looking at each other, just enjoying the feel of their hands holding each other. Ronny closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth of Pudge's hand on top of his own, even enjoying the pounding of his own heart. Both their hands were sweaty, but he didn't care, and Pudge didn't seem to, either.
Pudge watched Ronny's face as he held his hand. He had his eyes closed, lips slightly parted. He looked completely at peace and content. Pudge squeezed his hand a little harder, for a brief moment. Ronny squeezed back.
As if sensing Pudge watching him, he opened his eyes, looking over at Pudge. Pudge was smiling at him, genuinely happy.
Both their eyes wandered down to their hands, resting so comfortably against one another, Pudge's lying on top of Ronny's.
Ronny began to imagine their whole bodies tangled up in such a way, not just their fingers. As if thinking the same thing, Pudge removed his hand.
"I...I should go," he said quietly. "My mom would be home by now..."
"Are you going to come back?" Ronny asked, a little worried.
Pudge met his eyes. "Yes, Ronny. I'll come back. I promise."
"Can you drive, after...?" Ronny trailed off, thinking of how he felt right now.
"Yes, I think so."
Pudge got up off the couch, with an effort, bending to pick up Ronny's drawing.  "Can I keep this?" he asked.
"Yeah. Yeah, sure," Ronny answered, rising himself. He did not stand up straight, because apparently, his body was telling him he wasn't straight.
Reluctantly, Ronny walked him to the door, where they awkwardly stood, not knowing what to do or how to end this--this evening. This date? Ronny didn't know what this was, but was grateful for it, nonetheless.
Ronny tried to shake hands, then they changed their minds and settled for a hug, Ronny pecking Pudge on the lips.
"Um...bye Ronny."
"Bye, Pudge."
Pudge opened the door and left. Ronny stood there, staring after him, for a moment, then reluctantly went back inside. He hoped Pudge really would come back, or at least call him. Pudge seemed more okay with himself, somehow, now, but Ronny didn't know how Pudge really felt about it, now that something had happened between them. He was as sad to see religion have him, as he would be if it was another guy.
"Jesus better not steal my boyfriend!" he muttered angrily, then broke into a surprised but delighted little laugh at the word "boyfriend." Even he couldn't stay angry, thinking of Pudge and all of the scary but thrilling possibilities.