"Paxton's a dumbass," Javi cut me off as he glanced at his friend harshly.
Anita gasped and pointed a disapproving finger at her son. "Javier, language!"
"I am not a dumbass." Paxton's mouth fell agape with offense, though it was lighthearted. "You're a dumbass! I just wanted to talk about the fireworks."
"Tick, tock, tick, tock," Kailey drawled impatiently. "That's the sound of our time dwindling down while we stand here fighting like children."
Without another word, Kailey set off toward the next attraction. She was determined to get where we needed to be without any more interruptions. We followed behind her, struggling to catch up to the fast pace she was stepping.
We rode a couple of more rides, watched one of the shows they put on, and stopped for another snack before it was time for the fireworks. Kailey made sure we got there early so that we could get a good spot clear from obstructing trees and tall people.
Since we had some time to kill Anita took pictures for us. Bella had already taken countless selfies throughout the trip, but we hadn't had any full body group photos taken. We took photos as a group, one individually, and then we broke off for pictures with certain people. Memories.
There were hundreds of people circling around us, pushing, and shoving because they wanted the best spot to watch the show. We were in a very good spot thanks to Kailey. Front and center, not a single person in our way and not even any annoyingkids were near us. It was dark outside, but the colorful streams that were about to be sent in the air would take that away quickly.
It started with purple streaks shooting into the air accompanied by large blasts of yellow. The loud ‘boom’ that sounded from the fireworks only added to the experience. Whimsical music sounded through the speakers to add to the ambiance and ‘ooo’s’ and ‘ah’s’ were harmonized by the guests.
Kailey and Ricky were wrapped tightly in each other's arms as they watched in awe, Bella and Paxton reveled in their excitement together happily, and I even spotted Justin and Diane a little way away from us watching with amazement.
Javier's hand slid into mine. It caught me off guard because I wasn't sure how comfortable he was with public affection. All of the swooning and endearment was shown in private with the exception of his family and our friends, but he didn't hesitate to interlock our fingers and lean into me.
Maybe it was because it was so dark outside and all of our classmates were focused on the fireworks. Though, I think the real reason was that he simply did not care. I didn't mind either. The only people who I was worried about finding out about my sexuality were my siblings, to hell with everyone else. Now that the twins knew for sure and could not care less, I could truly not give a fuck.
"This is amazing," I whispered in awe.
"It is, isn't it?" Javi whispered as he continued to look at the sky.
I leaned closer to him, his warmth extremely comforting. "Experiencing it with you makes it so much more special."
Javier pulled his eyes from the sky to me. My eyes met his, a surge of warmth coursing through my stomach. His eyes glistened from the light surrounding us and his lips formed into an affectionate smile. As we turned our attention to thefireworks again, the music continued to play and another stream of yellow soared through the air.
"You mean the world to me, you know that?" he asked softly, and I couldn't suppress the big smile on my face. "You tell me not to worry about you, but I'm always going to worry about you because you're all I think about."
I turned to him, but he was still looking upward. I was going to speak, but he beat me to it. "When I first met you, I was intrigued. You saw me as someone you had to beat and I was up for the challenge. The way you carried yourself, the way you acted, it piqued my interest."
"But we had the whole rivalry thing going on, so I couldn't figure you out because we were constantly competing with each other. I liked competing with you, Eli. It was entertaining and I ended up learning your habits. The way you fidget with your fingers when you're nervous, how your face scrunches up when you're concentrating, and how you immediately get defensive with people as a way to protect yourself. I noticedyou.”
Holy monologue.
Javier licked his bottom lip and wiped his palms on his shorts. “Then we had to do the competition together and I really got to know you. That’s what proved that behind what you present to others, you're really a loving person who wants to share that love. You just didn’t have the opportunity to show it.”
Javier did not study once. The words were flowing out like it was the simplest thing in the world. If I were an outsider looking in, I would have thought he had just given the cringiest, most cheesy speech ever. Though, when you’re the one hearing the words, it makes you feel like you’re floating.
My heart was beating rapidly and all I could do was watch him with endearing eyes. My words were caught in my throat, the scenery around us adding to my stunned state.
After a few moments of silence between us, his gaze fell on mine. "I don’t want to have to wait any longer to call you mine."
I swore my heart stopped for a second. “You don’t?”
He laughed softly and then took a deep breath before swallowing. “Elias Richardson, the smartest, snarkiest, and most talented person I know. Will you be my boyfriend?"
Butterflies fluttered in my stomach as my eyes studied his. I felt like I was dreaming, and the way the fireworks popped just as he popped the question added to the unreal feeling. But it was real. His touch was real, his warmth was real,hewas real. It was all real.
"Yes," I said, my lip quivering. "A hundred times yes."
***
"I am so happy for you guys!" Kailey squealed for the third time that night. "Do you know how difficult it was to hold that secret?"
