Seven sighed, his warm palms settling on Enzo’s cheeks. “What happened to eye contact?”
Enzo forced himself to meet his gaze, steady and unflinching. “Better?”
“Mm,” Seven said, catching his swollen bottom lip between his pretty white teeth while he searched Enzo’s face, like the answers were written there in invisible ink. “Did you mean it?” he asked before tacking on, “I want the truth.”
“Yes,” Enzo admitted, feeling a little like he’d just carved out his heart and offered it to Seven on a silver platter.
It would serve him right if he stomped on it and gave it back. Seven continued to study him, his eyes crinkled, like he was trying to solve some kind of complex math equation. “Since when?”
“Since the day we met, probably,” Enzo said, the words thick, his throat trying to close around the truth.
He sucked at this. He sucked at being vulnerable.
“You tried to make me your contractually obligated dick appointment,” Seven mused. “That doesn’t sound like true love to me.”
“I was trying to keep you with me in the only way my fucked-up brain would allow at the time,” Enzo explained. “Or maybe I was trying to secretly sabotage myself.”
Seven’s thumbs began to stroke over Enzo’s cheeks soothingly.
He closed his eyes, trying to calm his nerves, before opening them again. “The truth is, I haven’t been able to get you out of my head since the moment I laid eyes on you, and it seems like every single person we know knew it but me.”
“Not every person,” Seven countered. “I was pretty clueless about your feelings.”
“I’m still kinda clueless about yours,” Enzo muttered. “In case you felt like sharing with the class?”
A flush crept up Seven’s neck, spreading all the way to the tips of his ears. “I thought it was pretty obvious.”
Enzo scoffed. “Obvious to who?”
Seven gave him a rueful smile. “Everyone but you, apparently.”
“Are you saying you…love me?” Enzo asked, clearly fishing for the words.
“That depends,” Seven countered stubbornly. “Are you saying you loveme?”
Enzo gave him an incredulous look. “I said I wanted to marry you. Was that not clear enough?”
Seven shrugged, feigning disinterest. “People marry for lots of reasons,” he said breezily.
Enzo sat up on his knees, pulling Seven into a sitting position. “Promise it’s not gonna freak you out if I say it?”
“Yes. No,” Seven said. “I don’t know. Fuck.”
Enzo nodded. “It’s weird, right?”
Seven nodded back. “Yeah. Like, it shouldn’t be. It’s not a lie, but like…part of me feels like if we say it out loud, our mothers will repel down from the rafters with all the things necessary for a pop-up wedding and that’ll be the end of it.”
Enzo laughed, but couldn’t stop himself from glancing up nervously at the decorative wood beams across his ceiling. “Okay, then how about this. Instead of saying that ‘L’ word phrase, I will say…” Enzo racked his brain, finally settling on, “I’d like to formally propose a merger of our hearts and lives, pending a comprehensive review period as long-term projections look promising.”
Seven bit his lip to keep from laughing, then schooled his features into a serious expression, his voice deepening. “In the matter of you versus my better judgment, I rule in favor of the use of the word ‘boyfriend’ with the intent to escalate to fiancé at a later date that is mutually beneficial to both parties…and both parties’ meddling mothers.”
Enzo laughed, his heart feeling incredibly weightless. “They’re going to go absolutely feral when we do finally decide to announce our engagement.”
“You say that like it’s inevitable,” Seven said.
“We feel pretty inevitable,” Enzo admitted. “But we don’t have to rush into anything. Though, after eight months, it’d be really fucking cool if you let me in your pants again.”
Seven snorted. “How romantic.” After a minute, he added, “Though, I guess I should do more than one test drive before I take you home forever.”
