Crushes Fade, Love Stays

The NiNi Exposure

Zon was excited as he packed his clothes and prepared for the weekend. Their first week as a couple had passed so quickly. For Zon, this past week had been a completely new lifestyle for him. Working Monday to Thursday from 10am to 4pm had been a shock to his system, but having Saifah pick him up from work each day so they could eat dinner together had made the change more than worth it. He still couldn't believe he was spending the whole coming weekend by Saifah's side. Zon was lucky he had no problem getting Monday off since it was a national holiday, and the student workers fought over who should work since the pay would be higher.

There were only two things making Zon slightly nervous about tomorrow. The first being: what if the twins didn't like him? Would they feel he was intruding on their trip? The second was: He hadn't been camping since high school, and it hadn't been a fond memory. Not knowing what to expect and worrying about all that could go wrong away from the comforts of civilisation filled his thoughts as he picked out what to pack.

Zon's heart jumped and a smile spread across his face as the ringtone belonging to his boyfriend began filling his room. "Hi Sai," he said happily as he answered the phone.

"Hey Zon. Are you all set for tomorrow?"

Sitting next to the piles of stuff spread out across his bed, Zon sucked his bottom lip before replying. "Haha... not quite yet. How about you?"

"The truck is all packed except the food which I'll put into coolers in the morning. The twins are so excited I doubt they'll sleep much tonight. It's fine though as it means they'll sleep in the car tomorrow," Saifah said with a light chuckle.

"They might not be the only ones," replied Zon wondering if he'd be able to sleep well tonight.

"You nervous? Don't be. I've been to the place we're going many times before, and the dogs will keep away any unwanted guests from our campsite."

"Unwanted guests?"

"You know, snakes, lizards, and other wild animals. Oh yeah, that reminds me, don't forget to bring a towel and swim shorts if you want to go swimming in the river."

Zon wished he hadn't asked. Originally he'd only been worrying about being bitten by mosquitoes and other insects, but now he had reptiles to add to his worries.

Saifah sighed. "Zon, I miss you," he said out of nowhere and surprised Zon. "It felt strange not seeing you at all today."

A burst of quiet giggles erupted from Zon as he fell back onto his bed. Those words tickled his insides with joy. "I told you, it's because I needed to get my writing done since I won't be touching my computer for the next three days. But it's good you missed me, now you won't mind me being stuck to you like glue for the next few days."

"Should I take that as a promise?" laughed Saifah. "But did you manage to get all your work done?"

"Yeah, I did," replied Zon with a soft smile as he thought about how his ever growing feelings for Saifah had helped him create his most, or should he say first popular ongoing novel.

"Good. Going a day without you was worth it then," said Saifah in a light tone. "About tomorrow, don't stress about anything and be sure to sleep early, as I'll be outside to pick you up at 6am. Okay, my sweet Zon?"

"Mmmm." Zon answered. Saifah's words made his chest ache. He'd missed him too today, and he wanted to see him so much right now. "Don't worry, I'll be outside ready and waiting for you when you get here. You too, be sure to sleep well tonight. And preferably dream of me," he added cheekily.

Once they ended the call, Zon lay looking up at his ceiling for some time as he thought about possibly running over to Saifah's house for a quick cuddle. With a sigh, he sat up and looked at the mess on his bed. He needed to finish packing before anything else.