Okay, that was a better response than I’d expected. “Yeah. I’m sorry. I should have asked you first, but I just got excited when they said they could waive it with some proof. I knew Mom had your letter, so I just did it without thinking.” He said nothing. “I’m sorry. I fucked up, and I betrayed your trust. Fuck, dude, I’m sorry—”
Before I could say more, Asher’s arms were wrapped around me, pulling me in for a big hug. “I’m not mad, Theo. Thank you.”
My heart, which was in my throat the whole time I was feeding him my big fat lie, slowly traveled back down to my chest. This was good. He wasn’t mad. “You had me nervous,” I asked.
“Sorry. I’m just—” he released me and leaned back to look at me. His voice trembled, but he quickly cleared his throat and composed himself. “I just feel really lucky that you’re in my life.”
“I feel the same way about you.”
He let out a little laugh and said, “You’re a real one, man.”
Phew!We were back in normal territory, and it felt fucking awesome. We chatted about PCSHL while I put his stuff away. The jabs we usually threw at each other started up and, soon, we were laughing like we always do.
It all felt right. He belonged with my family and me—not in that hellhole with a bunch of assholes who were too stupid to see how fucking special he was.
Asher
The moon painted Theo’s bedroom walls with a pale, blue light. He lay next to me, snoring in the cute way he always did. I’d grown accustomed to it at school, and now I almost felt like I needed it to fall asleep. I’d even downloaded an app with different sounds to help me sleep, and I settled on the cat purr because it was the closest thing I could find to the sound Theo made when he slept.
His bed was, indeed, gigantic. There was plenty of space for us.
Which was annoying.
I wanted to be wedged between the wall and Theo’s great big body. I couldn’t get over the PCSHL news—what a fucking sweetheart. He was seriously the best.
I looked out his bedroom window from where I lay. The curtains were cracked, and I could see a sliver of the night sky. Stars twinkled, and I closed my eyes, sending them my silent gratitude for giving me such an amazing friend. Suddenly, Theo’s arm lay across my body.
I opened my eyes, staring at the big, muscular arm stretched across me. The veins in his forearms flexed as he pulled me into his embrace.
Is this really happening?
Theo nuzzled into my neck, releasing a satisfied sigh. Then his other arm wrapped around me. He turned onto his back, pulling me with him—my head now resting on his massive chest and his strong arms wrapped around me. I looked up to confirm he was actually sleeping. Oh God, it was intense.
Did I want it? YES!
But I was still silently freaking out. What if he woke up andwas weird about it?
His scent soon calmed my silent panic. That spicy aftershave he used was just to fucking die for. Theo slept in gym shorts and no shirt, and I couldn’t help but drag my fingers over the smooth skin of his chest. God, he was so beautiful. I felt so safe in his arms.
His big, muscular arms.
The wind whistled outside. I looked out the window and found the scattering of stars in the sky. It was as if they were whispering through the wind that they had heard my wish.
Theo hugged me tighter, and I just let go. I’m sure we’d part at some point during the night. We’d wake up on opposite sides of the bed, as if the cuddle fest had never happened.
And that was okay. I was grateful. Because that feeling, at that moment, was too good to resist.
I fell asleep, his chest serving as my pillow and his arms wrapped around me.
Theo
I squeezed my pillow closer to me. The morning light shone through my cracked curtains, awakening me from the best sleep of my life.
For real, I slept like a fucking rock.
I quickly closed my eyes again, hoping to shield them from the blinding rays pouring in, illuminating the room.
The pillow I nuzzled smelled fucking amazing, and I pulled it in closer. The hairs of the pillow tickled my nose, and I backed away before I sneezed.
