The Guy I Liked In School Came Back After Six Years… And Invited Me To His Place
The last person I expected to text me on a random Tuesday night was Darren Collins.
I was lying on my couch half awake, still in my work clothes, scrolling through garbage videos, and trying not to think about how repetitive my life had gotten.
Same office.
Same microwave dinners.
Same lonely apartment.
Then my phone buzzed.
Darren.
Hey Carson.
Been a while.
I stared at the screen so long it dimmed.
Six years.
Six damn years since graduation.
And somehow just seeing his name again made my chest tighten exactly the same way it used to back in high school.
Back then Darren was the guy everyone noticed the second he walked into a room.
Tall, messy dark hair, stupidly nice smile.
He played soccer, flirted with every girl alive without even trying, and somehow still managed to be nice to literally everyone.
Especially me.
Which honestly made it worse.
Because when you’re closeted 17-year-old guy secretly obsessed with your straight best friend, every tiny act of kindness feels dangerous.
And Darren had always been casually affectionate with me.
Throwing his arm around my shoulders.
Sitting too close.
Calling me Car in that lazy voice of his.
Meanwhile, I spent most of senior year pretending my heart wasn’t trying to beat its way out of my chest every time he touched me.
Then graduation happened.
He moved away for college in Chicago.
I stayed home.
And eventually we stopped talking.
At first it was gradual.
Missed texts.
Less calls.
Then one day it had just ended.
So seeing his name again after all this time felt unreal.
I typed three different replies before finally sending.
Me.
Yeah.
Been forever.
Three dots appeared instantly.
Darren.
I’m back in town.
That hit me harder than it should have.
I sat up straighter on the couch.
Me Seriously?
Since when?
Darren 2 weeks.
Helping my mom move.
Then another message came right after.
Darren You still live downtown?
I swallowed.
Me Yeah.
A few seconds passed.
Then Darren Want to grab a drink tomorrow?
I don’t think I answered for almost a full minute.
Because the embarrassing truth was that part of me had never really gotten over him.
Not completely.
I dated people since high school.
Had relationships.
Whatever.
But Darren had always stayed tucked somewhere in the back of my head like unfinished business.
I told myself it was nostalgia.
Still, my pulse was racing while I typed.
Me Sure.
The next evening I got to the bar 15 minutes early.
Which was pathetic.
I kept checking the entrance while pretending to look at the menu.
My knee bounced under the table non-stop.
Then the door opened.
And there he was.
Older.
Broader shoulders.
Little bit of stubble now.
Black hoodie stretched tight across his cheSt. But still Darren.
Still unfairly attractive.
His eyes landed on me instantly.
And his face broke into that same crooked grin I remembered from high school.
Carson.
Hearing him say my name again after 6 years did something weird to me.
I stood up too fast and almost knocked my drink over.
He laughed immediately.
Still awkward, huh?
Shut up.
He pulled me into a hug before I could react.
And Jesus Christ.
I forgot how warm he felt.
One of his hands pressed against my back for just a second longer than necessary before he stepped away.
You look good.
He said.
I tried not to visibly malfunction.
You, too.
That stupid grin appeared again.
I know.
Some things survive time.
We sat down and surprisingly conversation came easy almost immediately.
We talked about work, college, people from school we hated.
At one point Darren laughed so hard at one of my stories he grabbed my arm across the table and for a second I was 17 again internally losing my mind over basic physical contact.
The worst part was realizing he’d somehow gotten even more attractive with age.
More confident, too.
Back in school he’d always been energetic and chaotic.
Now there was something calmer about him.
More intense.
Like he paid attention differently.
Halfway through our second drink he leaned back in his chair and looked at me carefully.
So, he said casually, you seeing anyone?
I nearly choked on my beer.
No.
His eyes stayed on me.
You?
Nah.
Something about the way he answered felt strange.
Almost hesitant.
I looked down at my drink.
Honestly, I kind of figured you’d be married by now.
He laughed softly.
Why?
You always had girls obsessed with you.
Girls, huh?
The way he said it made me look up.
His expression was unreadable.
Then he took another sip of his drink and changed the subject completely.
But my brain stayed stuck on those two words.
Girls, huh?
Around 10:00 we stepped outside into the cool night air.
I forgot this town gets freezing at night.
Darren muttered shoving his hands into his hoodie pocket.
Chicago made you soft.
Chicago made me tired.
I laughed.
For a second, we just stood there on the sidewalk looking at each other.
There was this weird tension suddenly.
Not uncomfortable.
Just charged.
Then Darren glanced away and rubbed the back of his neck.
You busy this weekend?
Depends.
My mom’s finally out of the house.
He said.
I’m staying there alone now while I fix some stuff up.
I nodded slowly.
Then he looked directly at me again.
You should come over.
My stomach flipped immediately.
What?
Come hang out.
He said casually.
Like old times.
Old times never involved me being alone in his house trying not to stare at his mouth.
Still, I heard myself say, Yeah.
Okay.
Saturday?
Sure.
That smile appeared again.
Cool.
Then he stepped closer suddenly.
Close enough that I could smell his cologne.
It completely wrecked my concentration.
Glad you answered my text, Carl.
He said quietly.
Before I could respond, he turned and headed toward his truck.
And I stood there on the sidewalk like an idiot watching him leave while my heart slammed against my ribs.
Because something about tonight had felt different.
And deep down, I had a feeling Darren knew it, too.
By Saturday afternoon, I had changed outfits four times.
Which was ridiculous.
I kept telling myself this was just Darren.
My old friend.
We were hanging out.
That was it.
But every time I remembered the way he looked at me outside the bar, my stomach twisted all over again.
Around 6:00, I pulled into his mom’s driveway.
Nothing about the house had changed.
Same pale siding.
Same basketball hoop over the garage.
But seeing Darren leaning against the porch railing waiting for me somehow made everything feel different anyway.
He was wearing gray sweats and a black t-shirt that fit him way too well.
His arms looked bigger than I remembered.
When he saw me get out of the car, he smiled immediately.
There he is.
I rolled my eyes while walking up the driveway.
You always greet people like a golden retriever?
Only the ones I like.
That hit harder than it should have.
Before I could recover, he stepped forward and pulled me into another hug.
Again with the hugging.
Again with my brain completely short-circuiting over it.
You smell good.
He said absent-mindedly before pulling back.
I blinked.
What?
He froze for half a second like he hadn’t meant to say it out loud.
Then he smirked.
Relax.
Wasn’t flirting.
Sure.
Maybe a little.
My heart did an embarrassing little flip.
Darren just laughed and opened the door for me.
Inside, the house looked half-packed.
Boxes stacked near the walls.
Furniture missing from some rooms.
Feels weird without your mom here.
I admitted.
Yeah.
Darren shut the door behind us.
Too quiet now.
He led me to the kitchen where beer and takeout were already spread across the counter.
You planned this?
I planned food.
He corrected.
Big difference.
Thoughtful king.
I know.
We ate in the living room while some random movie played in the background neither of us actually watched.
Mostly we talked.
And the longer we talked, the more I started realizing something strange.
Darren kept looking at me.
Not casually.
Not accidentally.
Like really looking at me.
Every time I glanced over, his eyes were already there.
At one point, I finally laughed nervously.
“Why do you keep staring at me?”
He didn’t even look embarrassed.
“You changed.”
“That’s what happens in 6 years.”
“No.”
He shook his head slowly.
“I mean different.”
The way he said it made my chest tighten.
Before I could answer, Darren leaned forward to grab another beer from the coffee table, and his knee pressed against mine.
Neither of us moved away.
The room suddenly felt very warm.
“You nervous or something?”
He asked quietly.
“A little.”
“Why?”
“Because I spent most of high school wanting to kiss you.”
Instead, I shrugged.
“Haven’t seen you in forever.”
Darren nodded slowly like he understood more than I was saying.
Then he smiled softly.
“I miss you, Carson.”
That one nearly killed me.
The movie kept playing quietly in the background while tension built thicker and thicker between us.
At some point, Darren moved from the recliner to the couch beside me, closer than necessary.
His thigh rested against mine naturally now.
Neither of us acknowledged it.
“You remember senior year prom?”
He asked suddenly.
I laughed immediately.
“God, barely.
You ditched after like an hour.”
“Because it was awful.”
“No.”
Darren said.
“You left because Tyler Jensen spilled punch on your shirt.”
I groaned.
“Why do you remember that?”
“Because you looked ready to kill him.”
“He ruined my favorite shirt.”
Darren laughed quietly.
Then after a second, he said, “I followed you out that night.”
I looked over at him.
“What?”
“You don’t remember?”
“No.”
“You were sitting behind the gym pissed off.”
He said.
“I came outside looking for you.”
Something about the way he was talking suddenly made me very aware of how close we were sitting.
I remember wanting to tell you something.
He admitted.
My stomach tightened.
What stopped you?
Darren looked at me for a long second.
Then he smiled faintly and looked away.
Didn’t think you’d want to hear it.
The air between us felt heavy now.
Neither of us spoke for a few seconds.
Then Darren stood up suddenly.
Come help me with something upstairs.
I blinked.
What?
My mom left boxes in the guest room.
You invited me over for manual labor?
You’ll survive.
I followed him upstairs trying very hard not to overthink literally everything.
The guest room had a few storage boxes scattered around, but Darren barely looked at them after we walked in.
Instead, he leaned against the doorway watching me.
You know, he said casually, you got hotter.
I stared at him.
What?
He shrugged like he hadn’t just detonated a bomb in my cheSt. You did.
Darren.
What?
He grinned.
It’s true.
I laughed nervously.
You’re acting weird tonight.
His expression changed slightly at that.
Weird how?
I opened my mouth, then closed it again.
Because honestly, I didn’t know.
Or maybe I did know, and I was too scared to say it out loud.
Darren stepped closer slowly.
Close enough now that I could feel warmth radiating off him.
You’ve been looking at me weird, too.
He said quietly.
I have not.
You absolutely have.
My pulse was pounding.
Neither of us moved.
The tension between us felt insane now.
Then Darren reached out and adjusted the collar of my hoodie softly.
The gesture was so small, so gentle, it completely wrecked me.
His fingers brushed my neck accidentally.
I sucked in a breath and Darren noticed.
His eyes flicked down to my mouth for the briefest second, then back up again.
Carson.
He said quietly.
The way he said my name made my knees feel weak.
I should have stepped back.
Instead, I stayed completely still while he moved even closer.
Close enough now that one more inch would have done it.
Tell me if I’m reading this wrong.
He murmured.
My heart was going so fast it actually hurt.
Reading what wrong?
Darren held my gaze.
This.
I couldn’t breathe.
That was the first thing I noticed.
Not Darren standing inches away from me.
Not the way his hand still rested lightly against my hoodie collar.
Just the fact that my lungs had apparently stopped functioning.
This?
I repeated weakly.
Darren’s eyes stayed locked on mine.
Yeah.
The room felt painfully quiet.
I could hear my own heartbeat.
You’ve been acting different since I got here.
He said softly.
And unless I’m completely losing my mind, I think you feel this too.
I tried to laugh it off, but it came out shaky.
You don’t even know what this is.
I think I do.
His voice had dropped lower now.
More careful.
And somehow that made everything feel even more intense.
I swallowed hard.
Darren.
You know how hard it was not texting you these last few years?
That caught me completely off guard.
What?
He looked away briefly, jaw tightening like he was debating how honest to be.
College happened.
Life happened.
But every once in a while I think about you, and he exhaled quietly.
I don’t know.
It never really went away.
My chest tightened painfully because I knew exactly what he meant.
The problem was I never once allowed myself to believe he could possibly mean it the same way I did.
Back in high school, Darren had girls all over him constantly.
He’d had girlfriends, stories.
Meanwhile, I’d spent years secretly wanting him and hating myself for it.
So, hearing this now felt unreal.
You’re serious?
I asked quietly.
Darren gave me a look.
I wouldn’t say this if I wasn’t.
Neither of us moved.
His eyes kept flicking down toward my mouth again.
And honestly, at that point, I was staring at his, too.
You know what the worst part was?
He asked softly.
What?
Senior year, everybody thought I was obsessed with that girl, Melissa.
I blinked.
Weren’t you?
No.
The way he said it made my stomach flip.
I only asked her to prom because I panicked.
Panicked about what?
His gaze held mine.
You.
Everything inside me stopped.
I actually laughed once out of pure disbelief.
Shut up.
I’m serious.
You’re telling me 6 years ago you liked me?
Still do.
Jesus ChriSt. I dragged a hand down my face trying to process anything happening right now.
Darren smiled softly watching me malfunction.
You okay?
No.
I admitted immediately.
You just casually destroyed my entire high school experience.
That made him laugh.
God, I forgot how much I loved hearing that sound.
Then his expression softened again.
You really had no idea?
Darren, you dated cheerleaders.
Badly.
You literally had girls fighting over you.
Yeah.
He said quietly.
And somehow I still only cared when you looked at me.
That one hit deep.
So deep I didn’t trust myself to speak for a second.
The tension between us had changed now.
Less uncertain.
Still nervous, but real.
Darren stepped even closer.
Close enough now that his chest almost brushed mine.
You know how many times I almost kissed you back then?
He murmured.
My heart slammed against my ribs.
You’re kidding.
No.
His voice had gone rougher now.
I used to make excuses just to touch you.
I stared at him.
And suddenly every moment from high school replayed in my brain differently.
The shoulder grabs.
The hugs.
The lingering eye contact.
The way Darren always somehow ended up sitting beside me.
Oh my god.
I whispered.
Yeah.
You He laughed quietly.
Sorry.
No, you’re not.
Not really.
We were so close now it felt impossible not to touch him.
And judging by the way Darren was looking at me, he felt it too.
Carson.
He said softly.
That was it.
That stupid soft voice saying my name completely broke whatever self-control I had left.
I grabbed the front of his shirt and kissed him.
The second our mouths met, Darren made this low surprise sound against my lips before immediately kissing me back harder.
And holy Six years of unresolved feelings hit me all at once.
His hands grabbed my waist instantly, pulling me against him.
The kiss turned messy faSt. Desperate.
Like both of us were trying to make up for years we’d loSt. Darren backed me against the wall beside the doorway without breaking the kiss once.
My brain was basically gone at that point.
All I could focus on was him.
The way his hands felt on me.
The way he kept kissing me deeper every time I made a sound.
When we finally pulled apart, both of us were breathing hard.
Darren rested his forehead against mine and laughed quietly like he couldn’t believe this was happening either.
“Okay.”
He muttered.
“Definitely wasn’t reading it wrong.”
I was still gripping his shirt.
“You’re such an idiot.”
“Probably.”
“You waited 6 years?”
“I was scared.”
That honesty hit me immediately.
Because Darren Collins had never seemed scared of anything in high school.
But this, us, apparently mattered enough to scare him, too.
His thumb brushed softly against my side underneath my hoodie.
“You know how many times I almost texted you?”
“How many?”
“A lot.”
I smiled despite myself.
Then Darren kissed me again, slower this time.
Less frantic.
More intentional.
And somehow that felt even more dangerous.
One of his hands slid up into my hair gently while the other stayed firm against my waiSt. I melted immediately.
“God.”
He murmured against my mouth.
“I wanted to do this for so long.”
The way he said it made my chest ache.
Because I had, too.
For years.
Darren pulled back just enough to look at me again.
His expression had softened completely now.
Just nervous honesty.
“You staying tonight?”
He asked quietly.
The question sent heat rushing through me instantly.
I should have thought about it longer.
Instead, I whispered, “Yeah.”
We ended up downstairs again eventually, though either of us really paid attention to the movie anymore.
Darren sat beside me on the couch, one arm stretched along the back behind my shoulders while we talked quietly like everything had changed and somehow stayed the same at once.
Every few minutes one of us would smile for absolutely no reason.
It felt unreal.
You know what’s embarrassing?
Darren admitted at one point.
What?
I used to rehearse conversations with you before school.
I turned toward him immediately.
No, you did not.
I absolutely did.
I laughed so hard I nearly spilled my drink.
You were literally the most confident guy in our class.
That was fake confidence.
He said.
Big difference.
Darren Collins insecure over me.
That’s insane.
He looked at me for a second with a soft smile.
You really don’t get it, do you?
The way he said it made my chest tighten again.
Because maybe I didn’t.
Maybe some part of me still couldn’t fully believe the guy I spent years secretly wanting was sitting here looking at me like this.
Darren’s fingers brushed lightly against my wriSt. I like being around you.
He admitted quietly.
More than anybody else.
I looked down at our hands.
You should have told me.
I know.
You idiot.
Again.
He said with a grin.
Probably.
I leaned against him after that naturally, like my body already knew where it wanted to be.
Darren immediately wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer.
Comfortable.
Warm.
Easy.
Honestly, that part got me more than the kissing did.
Because the physical attraction had always been there.
That was obvious.
But this this felt deeper.
Like slipping back into something familiar I didn’t realize I’d missed this badly.
At some point the conversation drifted quieter.
The lights were low now except for the TV glow flickering across the room.
Darren looked down at me resting against him.
You tired?
A little.
You can stay in my room.
The way he said it was careful.
Giving me an out if I wanted one.
But I didn’t.
Not even close.
So a few minutes later we were upstairs again.
His bedroom looked mostly the same as I remembered except cleaner and more adult now.
Same dark walls.
Same framed soccer posters.
You still listen to terrible music?
I asked.
Shut up.
He tossed me a t-shirt to sleep in while I changed in the bathroom.
And honestly, seeing myself in Darren’s shirt nearly destroyed me emotionally.
When I came back into the room, Darren looked up from his phone and completely froze.
What?
That’s He cleared his throat.
That’s doing something to me a little.
Heat rushed straight to my face.
Relax.
No, actually I don’t think I will.
I laughed and climbed onto the bed beside him.
The second I settled in, the nervousness came back slightly.
Because this suddenly felt intimate in a different way now.
Just real.
Darren seemed to notice immediately.
Hey.
His voice softened.
You okay?
Yeah.
You sure?
I nodded slowly.
Then after a second I admitted, Just feels weird.
Weird bad?
No.
I looked at him honestly.
Weird like I’ve wanted this for a long time.
Something in Darren’s expression melted completely after that.
He moved closer carefully giving me plenty of time to pull away if I wanted.
Instead I met him halfway.
His hand slid gently along my side while he kissed me again slow and warm.
No rush this time.
No desperation.
Just Darren.
I think that’s what got me the moSt. Back in high school, I’d built him up into this impossible thing in my head.
Untouchable.
Unreal.
But here in bed with me, kissing me softly with sleepy eyes and messy hair, he just felt human.
And somehow that made me like him even more.
We stayed like that for a while.
Talking quietly.
Kissing occasionally.
Laughing whenever one of us got awkward.
At one point, Darren rolled onto his side facing me and smiled lazily.
You know what I used to hate?
What?
When you’d flirt with other guys.
I blinked.
You noticed that?
Carson.
He gave me a look.
I notice literally everything about you.
My stomach flipped again.
You’re smooth now.
What happened to nervous Darren?
Oh, I’m still nervous.
He reached over and brushed his fingers through my hair gently.
I’m just also really happy right now.
That one nearly hurt to hear.
Because I felt it, too.
The room fell quiet after that.
Comfortable quiet.
The kind that only happens when being near somebody already feels natural.
Eventually, Darren shifted closer until our legs tangled together under the blankets.
Then he wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me against his cheSt. Better.
He mumbled sleepily.
I laughed softly.
Clingy.
Very.
His heartbeat was steady beneath my cheek.
Outside, rain had started tapping softly against the windows.
And lying there with Darren holding me like this, I realized something embarrassing.
If he had texted me even a week earlier, I probably would have convinced myself not to come tonight.
Too risky.
Too complicated.
But now, now I couldn’t imagine missing this.
Darren pressed one last sleepy kiss against my forehead.
Good night, Carr.
That nickname hit me exactly the same way it used to.
Only now I finally got to stop pretending it didn’t.
Good night, I whispered back.
And for the first time in years, everything felt exactly where it was supposed to be.
