For Your Eyes Only

28

"Truth?"

I lift my face to angle towards his and wait for him to continue. We still lay in Nate's bed, the aftermath of what we just did setting a warm glow throughout the room.

"The night that you fell asleep at my place, you said that you loved me in your sleep but I didn't tell you because I thought maybe I was dreaming. I've dreamt about you telling you loved me from the moment I met you. Because I've loved you from afar for so long. I was just afraid that my dreams were clouding my reality and I was no longer able to tell them apart. You do that to me, Kelly." His fingers touch my skin over my ribcage. "You're like an angel invading my dreams."

"I'm no angel," I assure him and snuggle my face back into his chest. I should acknowledge that I said those three words in my sleep but I can't say that I am surprised. Even in my unconsciousness, I have Nate on the brain.

"You are to me."

I pucker my lips on his chest, letting them linger in the sweetest way. He is the angel. I want to tell him this but he is talking again and his hand is distracting trailing up and down my spine.

"When we were in the eighth grade, you saw Logan Sanders and Justin Andrews trying to close me in my own locker. You walked right up to them and shoved them and told them to knock it off. They laughed at me but listened to you and walked away. Then during art class that day, Justin fell asleep and while the teacher wasn't watching you took a permanent marker and drew a very animated penis on his forehead. You looked right at me and whispered, "they're dicks. Now everyone will know." I don't know if you remember that, but I do."

I look up at Nate with my mouth opened in disbelief. I faintly remember the memory of it all but I never dwelled on it long. He chuckles lowly in his chest. The smile plastered on his face is enough to knock the wind completely out of me.

"I always asked myself why you did that in the first place. They were your friends and yet you were publicly outing them just for my case. They never knew you did it but still. You did it. And I will never forget that." He closes his eyes in a blissful moment before reopening them and pinning them on my upturned face. "From that day on I always thought of you as this angel placed into my life to bring me hope and happiness."

My view of him was starting to blur again and I almost laugh at the audacity that I am crying again but a ball of emotion is blocking me from doing so.

"I love you," I say for what feels like the thousands time. But this time, it feels more raw than the others. It's like a feral beast is clawing at my insides just to latch onto him.

"I love you." He bends down and connects his lips to mine. He groans lightly when my teeth bite into his lower lip and pull it, only to let it snap back to dive back in for more.

Nate lazily smiles before I bring his lips onto mine. Kissing Nate is euphoric. I'm completely enraptured when he kisses me. My whole body sings.

"Nate?"

"Hmm."

I wiggle against him to get his attention more but that only makes him pin me down harder. His mouth works its way down my neck again and his hands massages my chest in an apathetic way.

"Nate."

"What?" His head peeks up from under the covers.

"I have to pee." I bite my lip to suppress my amusement.

Nate sits back on his haunches and runs an apprehensive hand down his face. "Um..." His eyes twitched towards his door. "That could be a surprise to the household."

"Yes, I know. Which means I have to go home." I try to hide the wistfulness in my voice by placing a kiss on his shoulder. "You have to get off me."