“I think you’re…” He hesitated, then squared his shoulders. “Better than what he drew.”
Noah’s breath stuttered. “Yeah?”
“Yeah,” Eli said. “You’re not a fantasy. You’re…you.”
Noah’s smile went crooked and bright, as if Eli had given him the best compliment in the world. “And you,” he said, leaning in, “are trouble.”
“Retroactive trouble,” Eli corrected.
“The worst kind.” He brought his hand up to cradle the side of Eli’s neck. “Can I kiss you?”
“God, yes.” Eli laughed. “How many times do I have to tell you that you?—”
Noah stopped his words with a kiss that started out tender, but then morphed into something deeper.
Our stories started long before we realized, and we’re only now catching up.
When they parted, Noah rested his forehead against Eli’s. “Okay, I have a weird question.”
“That’s your brand,” Eli said.
“Do you still draw like that?”
“Like…what?”
“Like you did then. From watching. From wanting.”
“Sometimes,” Eli said cautiously.
“Would you…” Noah’s voice quavered. “Would you want to draw me now? As…this. Us. Real.”
Eli’s heart was about to burst.
“Maybe. If you let me.”
“I’m literally asking you to,” Noah said with a smile. “So yeah, consent granted. Take your time. We’re in no rush.”
We.
The word settled into Eli’s bones.
Noah glanced back at the sketchbook on the table.
“This makes me feel less like everything in my life started with getting my heart broken and more like…some threads were always there. We just finally pulled the right ones.”
Eli leaned into Noah’s shoulder, the two of them sitting close, the sketchbook between them like a bridge instead of a secret. Outside, snow brushed against the windows.
“Eli?” Noah’s voice was low.
“Yeah?”
“Next time your brain tells you you’re forgettable,” Noah murmured, “remember this. I’ve been walking around this town for years without you, and it turns out you were there the whole time. On paper. In hallways. In the back row. In my goddamn future.”
Eli’s throat burned.
“Okay,” he managed.
“Good.” Noah kissed his temple. “Because I’m not planning on forgetting you again.”
