Cold and Charisma (BoyxBoy)

Chapter Forty-Two

Archer's Perspective

If I could replay these last few weeks—without worrying about the future or where this relationship is going—I would in a heartbeat. I don't think I ever really knew what love was until I met Riley Lachkov.

From my parents, I thought love meant sticking by someone no matter what. Maybe ironing their button-up shirts every now and then.

But what I have with Riley—what we have—has shown me how many different ways you can love someone.

You can love the small things. His stupidly cute button nose. The freckles that show up when the weather gets warmer. The way he gets offended so easily that it makes me want to apologize ten times over.

Or maybe it's not even those things. Maybe it's the way he's slowly grown softer with me these past few weeks we've officially been together.

He'd never admit it, but he wants the same soft, quiet kind of love everyone does. He acts like he's fine on his own—like when he insists he can carry his soccer bag—but still lets me take it from him anyway.

Or when he tries to bandage himself up after falling, only to give in and let me hold him while I wrap his leg.

I realized a while ago that no one would ever understand Riley the way I do.

And I think I liked it better that way.

I don't care what anyone else thinks about him. I know him. That's enough.

I know the way his voice softens when it's just us in my room. The way he's stopped arguing with everything I say—at least a little.

Just last night, we were sitting in my room. The lights were dim, just my bedside lamp on, and he was leaning against my headboard like always.

Except now, he doesn't pull away when I get close. If anything, he gets annoyed when I'm too far.

He sat with his knees curled up to his chest, as he talked about his day without any trace of hate on his face.

He looks even more adorable when he's comfortable around me—like we've known each other forever. In a way, it does feel like a lifetime.

It took us so long to get here—and look at us now. Two boys, sitting on one bed, in a relationship neither of them could've imagined.

As he sat there last night, I couldn't stop staring at the way he kept rambling about something irrelevant—because there he was—sitting next to me, just talking and laughing.

That's all I've ever needed.

I don't need to tell people we're together. They can see it.

It's not just how he lets his guard down when we're alone—it's that he's not as scared to show it anymore.

In the way I look at him. In the way he's always my first priority. Even in the way I catch myself staring at him during assemblies while I'm supposed to be speaking.

It's obvious.

I love Riley Lachkov.

Whenever he's done with soccer practices, all angry and frustrated with his teammates, his frown immediately disappears when he sees me standing by the gate.

I always like to go out of my way and buy little treats for him to cheer him up—just yesterday I surprised him with In-N-Out, and the day before that I got him an energy drink. It's stupid, but it makes him happy.

The way he can change moods between cussing out his teammates to immediately seeing me and smiling will never not make my heart flutter. 

And I won't admit this out loud, but watching him switch from yelling at his teammates to smiling at me like that...