*Tyler's POV*
Troye and I walked hand in hand in a snowy park, not too far from my mom's house. Troye and I were in Michigan for Christmas (even though he's jewish), and had decided to go on a walk on the day of Christmas eve.
We strolled in silence. A quiet peace, like we were in a bubble together, snow gently falling around us. Once we neared a frozen pond, I nodded towards a bench, and we sat down, the snow soaking the seat of my jeans. I didn't mind, though. Troye snuggled into my side and rested his head on my shoulder, and I put an arm around his waist.
"You're thinking about something." he said after a moment.
"Yeah, you." I replied.
"Oh, shut up." he giggled. "It's something else, I know it."
He was right. Troye and I had been dating for 4 years. He'd moved in with me in L.A, and even with our busy lives and our careers picking up, we made it work. I was completely, head over heels, in love with him. I had told him many times. I just hadn't heard him say it back. Ever. I was sure he felt it, though. Or, at least, I hoped.
With that assurance, I began to plan something: my proposal. I was going to propose to Troye on Christmas eve, in front of all my family. Korey and Connor helped me plan every detail of it, from the ring right down to what to say and when.
I had imagined what would happen, over and over again, every detail. The only part I would leave out was Troye's response. That part was up to him. My wishful thinking could only do so much.
* * *
After a little while of sitting peacefully on that park bench, snuggling together, we decided to go back to my mom's place, where we were staying. We entered through the front door, stepping over the threshold and stomping our boots on the mat to rid them of snow.
"Hi boys!" I heard my mom call from the kitchen.
"Hey, Jackie!" Troye called back.
After hanging up our coats, I turned on the fireplace and put on some christmas music. We sat on the couch and talked quietly.
"I feel so festive." Troye said. "I love everything about Christmas."
"Says the Jew." I told him. He stuck his tongue out at me. "What do you like about Christmas, then?"
"The christmas themed candles, the tree, the carols, the music. I love it." He sighed, leaning into my side and resting his head on my shoulder. I grabbed him around the waist and pulled him closer. He giggled.
"I'm so, so happy you're here." I told him softly.
Troye looked at me for a moment. He grabbed my neck and kissed me, gently. Our lips parted, but I rested my forehead against his.
"I love you." I told him. I told him I loved him like I had thousands of times before. And just like those other times, he didn't say it back. Instead, he rubbed small circles into the sides of my neck with his thumbs, and rubbed our noses together. Then he pulled away.
"I'm gonna go take a nap before the service tonight, are you coming with me?" He asked. "I could use someone to cuddle with."
I smiled, but I felt a pang of hurt in my chest because of his avoidance of the topic of love. "Of course." I took his hand, and we walked up the stairs together to our bedroom.
