Title: "What If" in High School Chapter: Chapter 4 Rating: PG-13 Summary: Luke and Noah leave the party together. Characters: Noah, Luke, Kevin Genre: AU, Humor Warnings: None Disclaimer: This site is no way associated with "As the World Turns", CBS, P&G, or Van Hansis and Jake Silbermann. This is not for profit. No copyright infringement is intended. Authors submit and write their own work.

Noah followed all of Luke’s directions and was pulling into what he now knew was Luke’s grandmother’s guest house. He watched Luke stumble out of Noah’s truck and walk up to the front door. Once Noah was up there, he could see Luke looking for something in his pocket.

“What are you looking for?”

“I can’t find the damn key. The door’s locked. Hey, check under that stupid statue thing.”

Noah positioned his eyes to where Luke was pointing and lifted up the tiny sculpture. Sure enough, there was a key.

“Uh, you better let me. If you try to open it, we’ll be here forever.”

“Good point,” Luke said, taking another big drink from the beer bottle.

Noah opened the door and waited for Luke to walk in before closing it behind them.

“Wow, this place is really…empty,” Noah said looking around at the various things in the room.

“I told you she never comes here.”

Luke plopped himself down on the couch and took another drink.

Noah could tell he was totally wasted, and to be honest, a little scared of what Luke could do. But at the same time, he was so curious to see where it could go.

“So…Noah Mayer. Noah, Noah, Noah. Who are you?”

“Um…”

“I mean…what do…where…you know what I mean.”

“There’s not that much to know. Uh, I like movies. A lot, actually. That’s pretty much it.”

“So you wanna act?”

“No, no, no! I want to be a director.”

“I’m gonna be a writer.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, what?”

“Nothing. I…I just never really pictured you as a writer.”

“Well,”Luke began, pausing for a drink, “ I am. And, I’m not that bad. Basketball…it’s what I do in high school. Writing is…it’s…more than high school.”

Noah let out a slight laugh. Luke was a horrible drunk.

“You know, I’m not supposed to drink,” Luke blurted.

“Yeah, we’re seventeen.”

”No, I mean, I can’t because…something with my…I can’t remember. But! I’m not supposed to.”

“Ok, well, I’m cutting you off. How many bottles have you had anyway?”

“Only three. I haven’t drank…drunk…drank, in a while.”

Noah could only shake his head and smile.

“You know Noah, you’re easy to talk to.”

“That’s because you’re drunk.”

“No, I just think you are.”

“Well, I’m lousy with words, so I guess I always listen more.”

There was a momentary silence as Luke told Noah to sit. Noah looked around and noticed there was only the couch, so he sat next to Luke.

Luke took one last big drink and Noah looked at him. Luke was looking him dead straight in the eyes.

“Can I tell you something,” Luke asked, his eyes slightly glazed.

“Mhm,” Noah managed to say.

“I…I’ve only told a few people. Will, Casey, Maddie…” Luke said trailing off; Noah waiting and hanging on Luke’s every word. “I’m gay,” Luke finished, first looking at his empty bottle, then back into Noah’s eyes.

Noah could feel the lump in his throat as he swallowed hard.

“Oh, “he managed to say. What was it about Luke that he could never form real sentences? “How…how did you know?”

“Well,” Luke said with a slight laugh and tilted his head to the side, “believe it or not, I have a crush on Kevin. At least, I had a crush on Kevin. I just…I never really felt that way for someone before you know? But, when he got with Liv…any glimpse of hope I had just…just disappeared.”

Noah didn’t know anything. What to say, what to feel, or even how to feel.

Noah sat there, inches away from Luke, and looking into his green eyes.

Luke started to lean forward and his lips where barely an inch away from Noah.

“Luke?”

”Yeah?”

“You…you make me nervous.”

“Is that bad?” Noah could feel Luke’s breath on his lips.

“No,” he said finally, closing the gap between them.

When Noah’s lips touched Luke’s, it was like nothing he had ever felt before. For once, he felt in the right place. To Noah, Luke’s lips were so addictive. He never wanted it to stop.

A few hours later, the boys’ jaws were tired, so they had to stop, but spent the night in the guest house.

----

Noah was woken by the sunlight shining through the curtains. He could feel Luke’s arm wrapped around his shoulder and smiled.

He lifted up his upper body and looked over at Luke. He did not want to wake Luke , but just in case his grandmother would come here, he knew he should.

“Hey,” Noah whispered, knowing Luke was going to be suffering from a major headache. “Luke, you need to get up.”

Luke was finally coming to and squinted up at Noah before putting his head back down and moaning.
“My head kills.”

” I’m not surprised. Want an Aspirin or something?”

“That would be great. Thanks,” Luke said talking into the pillow.

Noah smiled as he got up. Serves you right for drinking, he thought.

Noah got back with the medicine and a glass of water.

“Here you go,” he said, sitting back down.

“Ugh, thanks. You’re a saint right now.”

Noah grinned as he sat there and let Luke take in his whereabouts.

“So…” Noah began. He was scared of what could happen after his next question. “Do…do you remember last night?”

Luke grinned at Noah, and Noah instantly felt the weight lift off his shoulders.

“Yeah, I do. It was…it was great,” Luke said, still smiling.

Noah exhaled a huge sigh and looked at Luke smiling at him.

“What? Afraid I wasn’t going to remember. I wasn’t that drunk.”

All Noah could do was sit there, smile, and wonder.

“So…what do we do now?”