Joshua's feet were lost in the darkness, camouflaged within the Winter-kissed foliage that had made its way to the forest floor. For a forest labelled as forbidden, this place was not as menacing as he would have thought. He'd expected some sort of adrenaline rush to come out of this adventure, but the forest was not the cause of his nerves. No, that was something else entirely.
His heart beating slightly harder-than-usual in his chest, the boy recalled the letter that he had sent to the Ambrose boy,
Kaleb,
Feel like an adventure? I am planning on exploring the forbidden forest. Meet me later today.
-Joshua
Of course, the letter left out Joshua's true intention for this get-together. He wanted to talk the Ambrose boy about their relationship. He was no longer sure if they were friends or something more. The only thing he was sure of was that he felt more than friendship for the boy.
But what would his parents think if they knew that their already flawed son was pursuing a male? Joshua did not know if he would be able to handle more shame than he already had.
Putting his personal battle aside, the Hufflepuff stood in the entrance of the forest, waiting for Kaleb Ambrose to appear.