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Tyler stuck his tongue out slightly, arm placed precariously over a tower of blocks.
“I almost got it-“ he said, creasing his brow before his hand shook, accidentally knocking the whole tower over.
“Aw come on I can never get passed the first round.” Tyler complained.
“Maybe you should try getting one closer to the top next time.” Alejandro suggested smiling victoriously as Tyler picked up the tower.
“Maybe we should play something else..I could totally beat you in some basketball.” Tyler bragged pointing at his chest.
Alejandro only sighed, dragging the long flowing curtain from its place over the window. A soft patter of rain could be heard as Tyler’s mouth formed an ‘o’ shape.
“I forgot..” Tyler said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. It was a nervous habit Alejandro barely even acknowledged anymore, Tyler did it whenever he had nothing of value to say- which was often for better or worse. Alejandro didn’t particularly mind, he found it charming in some strange sense.
“I doubt it will last all week I’m sure the courts will be cleaned up and ready by tomorrow” Alejandro said grabbing a couple lose Jenga blocks to help him reset the tower. It was their fifth game and Tyler had lost nearly every time. It was one of the reasons Alejandro had selected the game. He knew how clumsy Tyler was and he also knew exactly how to psyche him out. It was almost to easy even if he had to admit that he got a little competitive in the end.
“Yeah I hope so you can’t keep up these bad boys if you don’t work them.” Tyler said flexing the muscles on his arms with a proud smile.
Alejandro chuckled to himself causing Tyler to frown.
“Hey not cool dude.” He said looking ready to protest his subtle mockery.
“Dude?” Alejandro asked playfully
“What?” Tyler asked looking genuinely confused.
Alejandro only raised an eyebrow before Tyler connected the dots.
“Do you want me to call you something else…?” Tyler began.
“I was just joking I’m not the language police cariño.” Alejandro said waving his hand as he finely tuned the positioning of the tower.
“Maybe you should just stick with the pet names dude or uh..not dude?” Tyler said fumbling with his words.
Alejandro only sighed. It was to be expected. He had fallen for the guy- somehow- and Tyler’s cluelessness was one of the things he loved about him. He would even go as far as calling it cute the way his eyes glazed over and his hand went up to his face in thought. He really did try even if he didn’t always get everything right away.
“I suppose, I do love seeing you blush.” Alejandro said smirking.
It had only been a month, one long but wonderful month, since they had been dating. Maybe the word was too strong but, they had been spending time together. They shared a dorm room so it was fairly easy after all.
Tyler hadn’t exactly known how to respond to Alejandro at first. He could recall the moment he moved into the dorms- Tyler’s strange looks as Alejandro unpacked his stuff. Shortly after he had introduced himself not explaining what he was looking at or why he suddenly looked so flustered. That had been the first sign as to what would become of them.
“How about um..oh dominos!”Tyler said reaching for a metal tin among the various bored games they had set up on the coffee table.
It had been pouring for the last couple days and classes were cancelled because of it- so they had to find someway to keep themselves busy. Alejandro would have preferred being outside as well despite acting otherwise but, he wasn’t about to complain. The rain meant he got to spend time with Tyler.
If someone had told him that he would be practically dating his roommate when he first moved into his apartment he would have laughed in their face. The idea was outlandish and certainly not Alejandro’s style. Yet as the time passed he couldn’t ignore the smiles that wore on his face when Tyler talked about something he enjoyed, or the slight flutter of his heart when Tyler gave him a pat on the back after a friendly match of basketball. In fact Alejandro knew that he had become enamored with him when Tyler gave him a hug.
It had been a difficult day, Alejandro had almost failed a test that he had studied extensively for, he had tripped and fallen- palms scratched on the rough concrete, and his father wasn’t returning his calls. In truth he was feeling defeated. That was why when he walked into the dorms he sighed. It was a long sigh, filled with unsaid longing and dread. Tyler only looked up at him, pencil in hand and book open at his desk. It was like instinct that he stopped what he was doing to ask what was wrong with him.
Despite how clumsy Tyler was he was an amazing hugger, arms wrapped around his waist and head nestled in the crux of his neck. He hadn’t intended to go so far, as he stated on multiple occasions , but, the contact brought a warm feeling to his chest that almost made Alejandro want to reach out and kiss him.
It had taken a couple more weeks before that happened.
“Dominos?” Alejandro asked raising his eyebrow playfully.
“Do you know how to play?” Tyler questioned looking hopeful.
Alejandro did know how to play, in fact he was ruthless when it came to the game as Carlos always said but, he held his tongue.
“It has been a while.” Alejandro said deciding to turn off his competitive switch. There was a time for it, right now he just wanted to spend time with Tyler, enjoy the soft raindrops that ran down the windows.
Alejandro reached his hand out and took Tyler’s before he could protest, fingers weaving together as he gave him a slight smile.
Tyler nodded his head, blush on his cheeks as he slowly explained the rules. He stammered a lot more as Alejandro’s eyes remained trained on his.
“Sorry I’m not used to..this is different.” Tyler said grinning vacantly like he wasn’t sure how to respond. Alejandro had agreed to take it slow at first. Tyler had been the one to slip up and confess that maybe he felt a certain way about Alejandro. The confession was about as graceful as he always was, ending with him nearly facepalming on the ground having tripped over a loose board. Alejandro had only laughed, quickly affirming the feelings and asking if maybe he wanted to try a relationship out. From the way he acted Alejandro knew it would take some time before they really got used to each other. He had agreed from the floor, holding a thumbs up when Alejandro asked if he was okay.
It had been a month since the conversation and things were still awkward, understandably so. Tyler was trying his best, they both knew how they felt about the other but, expressing those without shoving them down was proving difficult- especially since Tyler admitted that he had never in the slightest felt attracted to another guy.
‘I like girls’ he had protested one night as Alejandro leaned in to brush his lips against his neck. The word salad was nothing new but, it made Alejandro laugh more than it should have.
‘Of course you do my friend’ he had responded with a smirk before pulling him into a kiss. Something about the way Tyler’s lips brushed up against his made him happy, he wanted to do it everyday- all the time- but he knew his limits. A couple kisses and Tyler was bright red, brain short circuited and all sentient thought banished. Taking it slow was the only way to go less he freak Tyler out to much.
“I think I understand the rules mi cariño.” Alejandro said zoning back into Tyler’s stuttering. He hadn’t heard a word but, he didn’t need an explanation. He just liked hearing Tyler talk, it was charming how he managed to take so long to speak without thinking.
“Oh okay good here I’ll pass them out.” Tyler said using his free hand to dump out the box and sort the dominos into two piles.
As he set down the last piece a jolt of thunder struck through the sky, having been forewarned by a lighting strike seconds earlier.
Tyler jumped, hand gripping onto Alejandro’s tighter.
“Man this stupid storm..”he muttered, eyes gazing over to the window wearily.
“Perhaps we can take a break from game night for a little bit? We could always set the dominos up again later..” Alejandro suggested.
“Uh..yeah sure man you were probably going to beat me anyways.” He said scratching the back of his head again.
“Nonsense who knows you may have been a domino wizard.” Alejandro chuckled as Tyler only gave him a look.
“Well what do you want to do?” Tyler asked meeting his gaze.
“I was thinking we could watch a movie..maybe you in my arms?” he asked giving Tyler a wide smirk as he blushed.
“Oh uh..that sounds nice dude..” Tyler said failing to exclude the ‘Dude’ from his words. It was simply a vocal stutter, no matter the context Tyler always managed to fill the gaps in his thoughts with the word . Alejandro had gotten used to it a long time ago but, he still liked to tease him when he could.
“Shall I pick the movie?” he asked releasing Tyler’s hand and standing up.
“Yeah sure man I’ll clean up.” He said nodding his head happily.
The truth was Alejandro had been wanting to snuggle with him since it first started raining, trapping them inside. Tyler had been the one to suggest game night to pass the time-he would have protested but, seeing how excited Tyler looked he had stopped himself. Now he would finally achieve that goal, he had been waiting for the right time to propose the question having beaten him ruthlessly in every game they had played. It had seemed appropriate when Tyler began holding his hand for dear life. Besides that it was getting late and the rain was only worsening, what better time to shut the windows and watch an old DVD. Alejandro had a couple of his favorite movies stashed away for emergencies and Tyler had a whole rack of old sports movies he claimed to watch when he needed motivation.
Alejandro scanned the rack in question, selecting a movie at random. Whatever it was he figured he would at least partly enjoy it- seeing as Tyler clearly would.
A large crash echoed throughout the dorm room as Alejandro turned to see Tyler holding a box with his hand as game pieces spilled out onto the floor.
“I got it.”he said shaking his head in annoyance as he began to collect the pieces.
Alejandro chuckled watching him intently, the way he grabbed each piece meticulously, the focus in his eyes made butterflies flood Alejandro’s stomach. He wasn’t sure he had ever felt such a strong feeling before- it was why he was in such a good mood, why he was always in such a good mood. Tyler had a way of turning his mouth upward no matter the scenario.
“What is it?” Tyler asked catching him staring.
“Oh nothing I was just observing your clumsiness.” Alejandro said bluntly.
“Hey it wasn’t my fault you were the one that stacked them all up like that..” Tyler complained while righting the chaos that he had created.
“Yet I didn’t knock a single one over when retrieving the Jenga box.” Alejandro said smugly.
“Whatever” he huffed eyeing the tower of board games carefully before nodding to himself.
“There.” He said walking over to Alejandro who was putting the movie he selected into the DVD player.
“Oh I love this movie.” Tyler said looking at the case.
“You love every single movie on that shelf.” Alejandro commented retreating to the couch in their shared living space. It was just large enough that they were able to fit it in the door and place it in the center of the room.
Alejandro reached for a blanket that was draped over the couch and settled it around him. The fabric was warm and he smiled to himself. He most enjoyed nights where he could finally unwind, ditch all of his form fitting attire and just sprawl out.
“Well my friend.” He teased holding the blanket open for Tyler to share it with him.
“Oh..”he said looking startled. He grinned nervously brushing the hair that hung in his eyes from his earlier effort. He was relaxed as well, no longer wearing that athletic jumpsuit he practically lived in. He only wore a T-shirt and basketball shorts, the shirt displaying the logo of his favorite sports team- the one he dreamed about playing on. The T-shirt only invoked pleasant memories for Alejandro, the colors blurring together to form a complete picture.
It was a big game- Tyler’s big game. He wasn’t on the actual college team but, he played club basketball on the outside courts. It was the final match between two opposing sides and he was freaking out, more than normal anyways. It was a couple weeks after they had agreed to start ‘dating’. Alejandro stuck around for everyone of Tyler’s games cheering him on and Tyler came to all of his football games. It was an unsaid agreement they both upheld.
Tyler had retreated under the bleachers, breathing panicked and eyes shifty. It was half time and he had bombed multiple plays. Alejandro knew he wasn’t the best player but, with pure practice alone he had become somewhat good-better than how he was playing in the present.
‘I don’t know what I’m doing wrong’ he had said looking uncomfortable. Alejandro tried to tell him that mistakes happened but, nothing was working. He couldn’t get out of his own head so Alejandro took him by the shoulders and stared straight into his eyes- gaze brimming with determination. Time seemed to stop then, both of them breathing in sync as they slowly drew closer to each other. It was a moment of mutual understanding as they kissed, it was perfect, everything he had imagined. That seemed to snap Tyler out of whatever funk he had put himself in. Their team won, by the skin of their teeth.
They had kissed a lot more after that but, Alejandro had stopped counting.
Tyler walked over to Alejandro, hesitantly sitting next to him. Through intense effort he shuffled closer, looking shy- it always took him a little while to warm up to Alejandro. Their knees were nearly touching when Alejandro couldn’t take it anymore and pulled him closer. He hugged Tyler’s waist wrapping the blanket around both of them.
“No need to be afraid I don’t bite.”he said making sure Tyler was comfortable with his advances. While he wanted to hold him and never let go Tyler was stingy when it came to hugs, almost feeling embarrassed when giving them. Alejandro knew that it was a slow road to a full on relationship but, he was willing to wait.
Things had clearly changed slightly as Tyler relaxed into his grasp, hands holding onto his and head leaning against his shoulder.
The movie began to play but, Alejandro wasn’t paying attention- focusing on the warmth radiating from Tyler. He was actually cuddling him, now Alejandro felt like short circuiting.
“Te quiero.” Alejandro whispered into his ear setting his chin on Tyler’s shoulder.
“Me too man.” Tyler said clearly not understanding, having already zonned into the movie that was playing on screen.
Alejandro smiled happily to himself in a silent victory. He had gotten what he wanted and it felt amazing- it felt right.
He would cherish the moment.
He cherished all the memories that Tyler was a part of.
And he was sure he would cherish all the memories that came after.