Tripping Down 12 Steps Into Malibu

Honesty

Brendon laid back in the slightly damp grass. The heavy rainfall prevented him from his usual outside activities yesterday. Today he was just happy to be able to breath in the fresh 70 degree weather, lay in the grass and clear his mind.

And by clear his mind, he meant he would try his best to stop thinking about Ryan. It was like the man was an alien species who'd invaded the planet of his mind. Planting it's flag without permission and calling the land his own. He'd thought about Ryan in the last 24 hours more than he'd thought about anything else ever.

When he woke up yesterday Ryan was still sleeping. And Brendon watched him sleep from 7:08 to 7:51 in the morning. Barely blinking. Now he knew how creepy it was to admit that. But at the time it didn't feel creepy at all. Ryan was just so... so beautiful. He never got the opportunity to take it all in so close. He meant to only look for a second and then get up to shower. But one second turned in to a minute. A minute turned into five. Five turned into twenty and then he stopped keeping track.

Now that he was in his peaceful place, he could think thoughts that didn't have anything to do with him. He just needed to think of something distracting. Something that required hard thinking. Like taxes. Or advanced arithmetic. He hated math but anything would be better than spending an entire second day with his roommate on his mind.

"Hey."

Brendon's eyes snapped open. He looked to his left. Watching the thought alien himself take a seat beside him in the grass.

"Ryan. Hey." He sat up so that Ryan wouldn't think he had to lay down.

"This grass is wet." He lifted his hands to his face to inspect them before wiping them on the front of his jeans.

"I know. I'm sorry." Brendon moved to get up but Ryan stopped him.

"It's okay. You didn't make me sit here." He wanted to ask him why he was here then. Why he'd come outside at all. He never did. But he didn't want to question Ryan and have him possibly get up and leave. So he kept his mouth shut. "You have some stuff in your hair."

"I do?' Brendon instinctively reached up to run his hands through his hair.

"Here, let me get it." Ryan moved his hands out the way. Proceeding to gently wipe out whatever was in Brendon's hair. The concentrated look on Ryan's face made Brendon smile. His eyebrows were furrowed and his tongue was peeking out the side of his mouth. He looked so innocent. So pretty. "There! It's all out now. What's so funny?"

"Nothing." His smile widened

"Then why are you smiling?" Ryan was smiling now too. He lowered his hands onto his lap.

"Because you're pretty." Ryan froze. His lips parted in an inaudible gasp. Brendon cleared his throat. "Pretty... uh pretty serious about getting a few wet pieces of grass out of my hair. "

Ryan visibly relaxed. His smile coming back into place. "I like for things to be clean."

"That's why your side of the room is so disturbingly neat." Brendon pretended to shudder at thought.

"Yes. Now we just need to get to the bottom of why your side is always so disturbingly messy."

Brendon shrugged. "I don't really pay attention to it."

"Oh?" Ryan squinted his eyes. Leaning closer to Brendon. His nose just a few inches from his own. It was strange to know this wasn't the closest they'd ever been. Ryan's hand reached between them. Pinching a lock of Brendon's hair between his fingers. Flicking something he couldn't see onto the ground. "What do you pay attention to then?"

"You."

When he didn't immediately take it back or elaborate, Ryan frowned. "Me?"

"All the time."

"You watch me?" He asked for clarification, drawing back.

"Sometimes." All the time didn't seem subtle enough.

"Why?"

"Because you're pretty."

"Pretty serious about cleaning?" Ryan offered as if he were giving Brendon a chance to back out of the situation his blunt honestly was creating.

"No." Brendon didn't want an out. "Just pretty."

Ryan didn't react right away. He glanced over Brendon's shoulder, not looking at anything in specific. He just didn't want to look at him while he was mulling over this new information. The fact that Brendon thought he was pretty. After what felt like an eternity, Ryan reestablished eye contact.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

A comfortable silence blanketed over them. Ryan laid down in the grass. The way Brendon was before he'd interrupted his thinking time. Brendon was too nervous to lay beside him. His own words replying in his mind. Almost making him wish he'd kept them to himself. He couldn't help himself from glancing down at the man. Ryan's eyes were closed and his expression was tranquil.

"Brendon." His mouth barely moved when he spoke.

"Yeah?"

"I know you think I'm pretty and all, but would you stop staring at me?"

His cheeks heated up instantly. He caught a glimpse of Ryan's smirk before he turned his head.