He wanted to be Isaac’s best friend, and his boyfriend, and he could believe now that Isaac wanted that, too.
He’d just told practically the whole world, after all.
Isaac stood and waited for people to applaud for a few seconds when he finished talking, the climbed off the stage, passing the trophy to his mom and kissing her cheek on the way past.
Before making a beeline straight to were Julian was standing, appearing in front of him within a few heartbeats.
Julian’s stomach swooped. Isaac was right there.
“I meant every word,” Isaac began before Julian could eventhinkabout saying anything. “And I screwed up, and I know… exactly how I screwed up, and I can’t promise you that I’ll never do anything wrong again, but I’d never hurt you. Not for anything.”
“I know,” Julian said softly, ready to apologize forhispart in their argument. “I know that, deep down, and I shouldn’t have doubted you because Iknowyou. I just… never believed I could really have you.”
Isaac looked at him for a moment, eyes darting all over his face, and then without another word, swooped in and caught Julian’s lips.
He kept the kiss chaste, lips barely parted, soft and sweet against Julian’s. Julian couldfeelpeople taking pictures around them, but he ignored it.
Isaac pulled back first, but only far enough to rest their foreheads together. He raised a hand to Julian’s jaw, the tenderness of the gesture making Julian’s insides clench all at once.
People could take all the pictures they wanted. He was too happy to care.
“I love you,” Isaac murmured. “Kinda always have.”
“Me too,” Julian whispered back, grabbing both of Isaac’s hands and holding them tight. “Always will,” he promised, because he knew it was true.
He hadn’t stopped loving Isaac since he’d fallen for him in the first place, and he didn’t plan on doing it now. Not now that they were finally on the same page.
“So, uh,” Isaac said, his voice dropping a half-octave and too soft for anyone but Julian to hear. “We have atonof desperate teenage makeout sessions to make up for.”
Julian laughed. “Shake all the hands you have to quickly and then take me home,” he said, his pulse already pounding at the thought.
