“But—”
“Fallon. Sweetheart,” he murmured, dipping his head low. “I know. I’ve done hours of research. Like, hours. Like, neglecting my paperwork enough to piss off my dad amount of research. I’ve gone over every scenario in my head. And I know what it means, okay. I know what this”—his other hand touched over Fallon’s that was still holding his stomach—“means. I choose this. And you. If you want me. But it won’t change our friendship, okay?”
Fallon bit his lip, then let it go. It was shiny and slick with his spit. “So…we can have both? We can have everything?”
Gage met his gaze. “I’ve dated quite a bit. I’ve been hurt. I’ve hurt people. I have a platonic soulmate and a lot of family who love the shit out of me, and I love them right back. But I have never felt this way about anyone. Not even close. So you don’t just get everything. You get all of me too. If you want it.”
Fallon bowed his head.
“And if you’re not ready to decide,” Gage said, “that’s fine too. I can wait. I will be as patient as you need me to be, for as long as you need it.”
“That doesn’t seem fair to you.”
“So long as I get to have this,” he said, squeezing Fallon’s hand, “that’s enough.”
“And kissing?” Fallon said. “And…and what we did before?”
Gage leaned in even more to speak directly into his ear. “I can still feel it when I sit.”
Fallon shuddered. “Maybe I don’t want pizza.”
Gage laughed and let his hand go to cup his cheek. “Yes, you do. You have to eat. But after, I’m yours. Whatever you want to do with me. Whatever you want to dotome.”
Fallon groaned, then surged up to kiss him. “I don’t normally care about genitals, but right now, I’m glad I can’t get a visible boner.”
“Oh my God,” Gage said through a laugh, then kissed him again.
When Fallon pulled back, he swallowed and met Gage’s eyes. “I want you to be my boyfriend. I want to be yours.”
Gage closed his eyes and let out a trembling breath. “Okay.”
“You sure that’s what you want?”
Gage held his jaw. “More than anything. Now, go get in line. I’ll be right back, and I’ll be all yours.”
“All mine. For keeps?” Fallon said.
Gage met his gaze. “For as long as you want me.” He took several steps back and watched Fallon start on the path toward the restaurant. He turned, jogging toward the car, and managed to make it back—only slightly out of breath from the cold—and slid up to Fallon, who was standing in the line.
“Are you good?” Gage asked, leaning in toward his ear. “Boyfriend.”
Fallon closed his eyes and hummed, smiling. “Yeah.”
“Okay, because if you need to sit?—”
“Gage.” There was something in his tone. Something tense.
“I said something wrong.” Gage could tell. His ADHD sometimes had his mind all over the place, but sometimes it had him hyperaware, and this was one of those moments.
Fallon took a deep breath, then said, “I want to talk about it later.”
Gage hated waiting. He was going to be on edge and paranoid that he’d fucked up minutes after getting the best gift of his life. But before he could really start to panic, Fallon threaded their fingers together and picked up his hand, kissing his knuckles.
“Breathe. It’s nothing bad, and I’m not angry.”
“Ha. I’m obvious?”
Fallon smiled at him. “To me, yeah. It’s okay. We’re okay.”
