Before I could stop him, he pressed a kiss on my mouth, then kissed me several more times before I managed to push him away.
“Let me brush my teeth first," I said. I began to roll out of bed, but Leo pulled me back before I could get my feet on the floor.
“No,” he whined. “You're my personal hot water bottle. If you leave, I'll be cold."
“I can turn the heater on,” I pointed out.
"Yes," Leo said dryly. “That’s the whole point of what I was saying.”
I tried to suppress a laugh and failed and lay down again. Once again, Leo pressed a kiss to my lips, and he seemed genuinely unbothered. Maybe my morning breath wasn’t as bad as I thought, or perhaps he liked me so much that he barely noticed it.
We kissed lazily for a while until Leo pulled away to yawn, his mouth stretching wide like a lion. “Gosh, I need some coffee.”
“I still don't have instant coffee.”
He checked his phone. “It's still early, only seven-thirty. We could go down the street and grab coffee and breakfast if you want?”
“Yeah, that sounds great,” I said. On any other day, I would have stayed in bed for as long as possible, most likely wasting time on my phone, scrolling social media. But half an hour later, I was walking down the street, my hand intertwined with Leo’s.
8 o'clock didn’t sound particularly early, but it was early in Melbourne, even on a weekday. The trams were going, filled with high school students and people commuting to work, but the streets were comparatively empty. We went down an alleyway to a tiny cafe, and there were only a few other people inside, most of which were dressed in office attire, grabbing coffees to go. We took a table in the corner and ordered a drink each — I got a matcha latte, of course, and Leo got a cappuccino. We also ordered a toastie each, which was not only the most appetising thing on the menu but also the cheapest.
“So,” I said once we were halfway through our meal. “Just to clarify — just to be completely sure — you’re my boyfriend now, right?”
“Yes,” Leo said. “If you still want me to be.” The corner of his mouth curled up. “I don’t just borrow a friend’s dog for the hell of it.”
“I want to be exclusive,” I said.
“I want that too.”
“And,” I continued, “I don’t want to hide.” I smiled to soften my words. “I want to show off to the world that I pulled someone like you.”
He blushed before his expression turned serious. “I don’t want this to be a secret either. I’ll tell my friends.”
Something in his voice made me tilt my head. “Are you afraid? I know it’s not the easiest thing to do.”
He shook his head. “They’re not bad people. They’ll probably tease me a bit, but nothing mean-spirited. It's just, you know, they've heard me go on and on and on about how relationships aren't for me, so I think they'll find it pretty amusing how meeting you changed my mind.” He took a sip of his coffee. “I’m guessing you’re going to tell your friends.”
“Hell yeah. It might be a little embarrassing though,” I admitted, “especially because Rome — he’s one of my friends — and Atticus listened to me vent for the past few weeks.”
Leo grimaced. “They must think I’m terrible.”
“They won’t,” I reassured him.
“I don’t want them to think I don’t deserve you. And I want to stay friends with Atticus. I want to be friends with all your friends.”
I smiled despite myself, imagining Leo meeting Rome. Leo was talkative and positive, and while I loved Rome, he could be incredibly pessimistic and grumpy. It would be entertaining to watch.
“It’s fine, Leo. I promise. You’re a good person. I wouldn’t be with you if you weren’t.” I leaned back in my chair. “I’m going to have to tell my parents too. Unfortunately, you’re not Korean,but fortunately, you do study Architecture, which they’ll find impressive.”
Leo didn’t look very reassured.
“It’ll be fine,” I added. “I doubt they’ll care that much, as long as I’m not distracted from university.”
“My parents probably won’t care much at all,” he said. “Which I suppose is a good thing. It means coming out won’t be a whole big drama.”
I reached out to squeeze his hand. “Are you going back to Sydney for the winter holidays?”
“My parents have discussed it, but honestly” — he squeezed my hand back — “I’d rather stay in Melbourne.”
