"You ok?" Charlie asked, taking the last piece of hamachi. "You've barely touched your dragon roll."

Ben looked up from his miso soup. "If I kissed someone else would you want me to tell you?"

Charlie dropped his chopsticks. "What?"

"I know we haven't been dating very long and I know with our schedules lately it's been harder to see each other... "

"We find ways around it. Like today's school day lunch."

"It's not like we're official or anything. If we were to, you know, kiss other people... "

Charlie's heart sank. "Do you want to stop seeing me Ben?"

"Do you?"

"No, I don't. I really like you... "

"And if I were to kiss someone else, would that upset you?"

"Well, yeah, it would."

"Then why did you kiss Hunter?"

Charlie almost choked on his Hamachi. "Wait, what?"

Ben could barely look at him. "Tyler's friend Brad, he said he saw you guys kiss on New Year's."

Charlie took a sip of water. "It was just a kiss, Ben. Between friends. On New Year's."

"But you two... there's a past there."

"Hardly. It as one-time thing. I'm with you."

Ben took the napkin off of his lap and wiped his hands nervously. "I don't know, Charlie. When I like someone, I like them. When I'm with someone, I'm with them and only them, regardless of what's officially agreed upon. Until it's done, I'm with them completely. I guess I was just hoping the same from you."

Charlie took Ben's hand. "And you've got it. I haven't wanted to be with someone else... "

"But you were dating someone else at the same time when you started dating me."

"You said it didn't bother you. Because I chose you."

"It didn't. But now... maybe, this is some pattern. Maybe I'm just another notch or something."

"That's not... it was just a kiss, Ben."

"Maybe to you, Charlie. I just... I'm not so easy with that kind of stuff."

"But you kissed me the night we met."

"And it meant something to me."

"Me too."

Ben got up. "I don't know, Charlie. I've got... I need to think about it. About us."

*

Charlie hated that he cried on the walk back to school, but he couldn't help it. He wiped his eyes as he got to the main entrance, took a deep breath, and tried to put a brave face on for the rest of the day. He marched confidently and purposely towards his classroom as the lunch bell rang. The principal was there waiting for him at his desk.

"Close the door, Mr. Parker," the principal said.

"Is everything ok, Glenn?"

The principal handed him a print out of an email. Front and center was a picture of Robbie kissing Charlie.

"Can you explain yourself, Mr. Parker?"

###

And thus closes out another volume. Per usual, we'll be posting recaps all next week and back with Volume 6 on Monday, February 11! Just joining us? Catch up here:

Volume 1 -
Week One, Week Two, Week Three, Week Four, Week Five

Volume 2 -
Week One, Week Two, Week Three, Week Four, Week Five

Volume 3 -
Week One, Week Two, Week Three, Week Four, Week Five

Volume 4 -
Week One, Week Two, Week Three, Week Four, Week Five


###