Kevin sighs with relief when his hot dog and cherry cola are delivered to the table. He grabs the basket and the tall glass hastily, almost spilling their contents all over Betty's arm.

Betty leans away from him a little so that she can have a good look at his face. "Kevin, you've been antsy all evening. Are you alright?" She asks as she watches her friend down half of his cola in one gulp.

"Huh? Oh," Kevin wipes at his mouth with a napkin. "Yes, Betty, I'm fine. Just, you know, I've been craving a hot dog all day."

Betty looks across the table at Veronica and they give each other a something's-fishy look. "You've been craving a lot the past few days," Veronica says carefully. "You had more than your usual croissant sandwich at lunch today. You sure everything's alright?"

Kevin nods curtly and takes a big bite of his hot dog. As he chews, the girls watch him. Finally he rolls his eyes and says, "Everything's okay, I promise."

Betty's sweetly fake smile does not go unnoticed by Kevin. He knows his friend. He knows she doesn't buy a single word he's said. He also knows that she is not going to push this, at least not tonight, not in front of Veronica.

Since Veronica moved to Riverdale, she's more or less fit nicely into their group, but there's no denying he feels more comfortable around Betty – they've been friends since they were kids. So, he smiles back at her and is relieved when Veronica changes the subject.

Kevin pretends to listen as best he can as the girls talk about the River Vixens. The truth is, though, it's difficult for him to concentrate. He's been having those thoughts again. Having them is not anything new or distressing to Kevin – he's a teenager, and aside from the rare hook-ups he's had, he's long learned to deal with his unrequited feelings. There are just not many gay boys like himself in Riverdale – at least not ones who are out.

What has him roused, and what has been the catalyst for trying to eat away his anxiety this past week, is that the feelings he's having are specifically about Joaquin – the bad boy with the long dark hair, strong prominent features, and sparkling grey eyes. The image has him hot and bothered, but what makes matters worse, is that Joaquin hasn't contacted him at all.

Kevin knows he's being impatient, and it has only been three days, but Kevin is new to this. What is the protocol for meeting at a drive-in and making out with a stranger – a gang banger at that? He had given Joaquin his number and told him to use it. Didn't that mean that Joaquin was to make the first move? Maybe Joaquin was waiting for him? How long should he wait to make contact after an impromptu make-out session?

And what is he supposed to say? "Hey, Joaquin, it's Kevin. I really enjoyed our kiss and grind session behind the concession stand. Want to do it again?"

Veronica's voice suddenly brings him out of the whirlwind his mind is in. "What do you think, Kevin?"

Kevin looks to his friends sheepishly and he can tell that Betty and Veronica know he has no idea what they've been talking about. What they don't know is why he's been ignoring them, and he'd like to keep it that way. He grabs a few fries off of Veronica's plate and shoves them in his mouth. "Sorry, I wasn't really listening," he mumbles.

"We know," Betty scolds.

"Kevin, we're worried about you. You've been in a daze and eating your weight in junk-food since the drive-in. What's the matter?" Veronica asks.

Kevin knows he's screwed. There's no way he can keep anything from the girls. He takes the last gulp of his cola, sets the glass down, and turns towards them. "I … there's …"

He's interrupted when his phone vibrates against the table. He picks it up quickly. His eyes widen as he reads. Betty and Veronica look at each other with raised brows as Kevin types out a quick response.

"Everything okay," Betty asks?

"Yes," Kevin says, almost too quickly. "I mean, yeah. Things are fine, but I need to go."

"What? Now?" Veronica asks.

"We haven't discussed what we're going to do about Cheryl," Betty adds as she's shoved over and out of the booth by her friend.

"I know, I'm sorry," Kevin says as he throws on his jacket. "But this is important. I really need to go. See you at school tomorrow," he says as he opens the door to the Chock'lit Shoppe and runs to his dad's truck.

XXXXX

Fifteen minutes later, Kevin is parked in the abandoned Twilight Drive-In parking lot and finds himself in the bed of the truck with an over-excited Joaquin atop him. Miraculously, they are still fully clothed, though there's no denying their sexual chemistry as Joaquin grinds his hips down and presses heated kisses to Kevin's exposed throat. "What … what took you so long?" Kevin blurts out.

"I got here in five minutes," Joaquin says incredulously. "Is my bike not fast enough for you?" He smirks.

Kevin leans up, stifling back the urge to ravish this hot man on top of him. But he can't. Not yet, so he presses a hand to Joaquin's chest and says quietly, "That's not what I meant."

"I know," Joaquin answers, his gaze sinking right into Kevin as if it were making a claim. "I had stuff to take care of."

"What kind of stuff?"

"You know what kind," Joaquin says quietly.

Kevin sits up fully now, and leans his back against the truck. "No, I don't. And maybe I don't want to know, actually." His eyes flicker a look at Joaquin's inner forearm. The Southside Serpents tattoo is hidden beneath Joaquin's black jean jacket, but Kevin knows it's there. "I told you that your … stuff … isn't a problem as long as my dad being the sheriff isn't a problem for you. I just … I thought you had a change of heart about using my number."

Joaquin scoots a little closer and runs his thumb over Kevin's inner wrist, right where his pulse is quickening. "I tried," Joaquin admits. "I think we both know where this will end. My stuff and your dad - they don't mix. My mind keeps telling me that we'd be wrong together."

Kevin sighs heavily and pulls his wrist away. "Maybe I should go then. My dad is expecting me back before eleven."

"It's only ten," Joaquin said emphatically. "And besides, I told my mind to shut up and listened to what my body and my … my heart was telling me, instead."

The smirk that appears on Joaquin's mouth is kissed right off his face as Kevin lunges at him. He takes control, once again laying them down on the truck bed. After a few moments, Kevin rolls them over until he is the one on top grinding and peppering Joaquin's mouth, jaw, and neck with lust-driven kisses. "Don't make me wait so long ever again," Kevin moans.

"Never," Joaquin murmurs, "Never again."

Kevin ends up being late for curfew. If his dad noticed, he didn't mention it the next morning. Kevin knows that he and Joaquin will have to be more careful because he wouldn't be able to handle losing Joaquin. Kevin doesn't know what their relationship status is, or even if what they have can be considered a relationship at all. He does know one thing though: nothing about the way Joaquin makes him feel is wrong.