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You were sitting next to him on the couch.
The past month had been odd. It was the Christmas season and needless to say everyone was in high spirits and wanted to go out, but after a night where the two of you got overly sloshed at a bar and almost did something, it had been odd. He had retreated slightly and you hadn’t reached out to compensate, confused with a muddled head that didn’t want you to sort out your own thoughts and emotions. But the day before, he had invited you to watch a movie and sleep over, and you couldn’t refuse. It could possibly be the last time you saw him before you left to spend Christmas with your family. And now you were sitting next to him on the couch, next to him yet too far for either of your likings.
He was painfully beautiful, features seemingly sharpened in the tense atmosphere. Small dots of stubble lined his jawline, partially obscured by a lock of hair falling in front and cutting through his features like a knife. His furrowed brows and eyes trying to stay on the screen didn't diminish his ethereal nature, even as he felt your gaze which flitted down to watch his fingers fiddling with themselves next to his thigh.
Finally he had to turn, “Why aren’t you watch-”
Thankfully you remembered something to get you out of this situation.
“-Oh wait! I got you something!”
He looked even more confused now as you got up, eyes following your figure as you walked over to the bag you brought and rummaged around before pulling a small package out. It was messily wrapped with red and green wrapping paper, trying to adjust for the lump in the right-angular shape of the object itself.
You came and sat back down, package in hand.
“I won’t be seeing you for Christmas so… I wanna give this to you early.”
His features quickly morphed into wonder.
“No, you didn’t.”
“I did.”
He was starting to grin familiarly now.
“Please, you didn’t have to, my gift for you isn’t even ready yet!”
You couldn’t help but return the expression. “Just open it, Jeff.”
“Okay, okay!”
You watched as he painstakingly removed the wrapping paper, nerves beginning to flutter as you awaited his reaction. He pulled the CD out of the package.
“Remember that show I went to in my family’s city that you were so jealous of? And that album you’ve been looking for for a year? Here’s the signed one I got from the show.”
“No!” The pure excitement on his face was exhilarating, before it changed to be indignant. “You can’t give that up for me!”
“It’ll mean much more to you than me. Oh, and that’s a bracelet I made for you.”
And then he laughed, eyes crinkling in the picture of joy as he slipped the bracelet onto his wrist and in a sudden move got up and pulled at your hands, spinning you ‘round the room in excitement.
“This bracelet’s so pretty! I’m never gonna take it off.”
“Thank you-”
“Do you know how long I’ve been looking for that album??”
“Yes I-”
He stopped you and pulled you into a hug all of a sudden and you couldn't help but melt into his touch. You had missed it recently due to your distance. You felt his palms smoothing the fabric of your clothing against your back and his hair tickling at your face and neck, proximity dizzying.
“…I’m so happy I could kiss you.”
Oh. So that’s how it was.
You raised an eyebrow, struggling not to betray any emotion though your heart was hammering and leaping into your throat.
He went on, “and the pretty girl is supposed to say, ‘why don’t you?’” He gestured his hand in your direction with a grin somewhere between soft and wicked.
“Why don’t you, then?”
“Well,” he said with a mock sigh that faded into a smile, “I don’t see why not.”
And then he was getting closer.
He paused, going quiet for a second.
“You do… actually want this, right? I mean… that thing at the bar…”
You nodded.
“Okay,” he said with an awed breath, “okay.”
It was a painstaking moment as you waited, teetering on the edge of a relationship-shifting action.
And then his lips were on yours, moving over yours slowly, so soft yet passionate, hair tickling at the sides of your face and noses knocking slightly. You opened your eyes for a second and if they were previously sore they weren’t anymore- his eyes were closed, lashes fluttering as you bit at his lip slightly, tongue looking to make its way in, slotting his mouth open to deepen the kiss. He let out a little sound of surprise, humming mildly against you, breathing through his nose and fanning on your face in order to keep the kiss going. His hand reached up to bury itself in your hair and suddenly you could feel the bracelet that you had made nestled on his wrist as he ran his palm and fingers messily through your hair; it was perfection.
Eventually the two of you had to part, breathing heavy, eyes blown on each other.
“Wow. Just- wow, I’m so glad we did that,” he said softly, looking at you like he was looking at the moon or the sun or the stars, with a gentle reverence that meant more than any verbal expression ever could. Even his poetry.
“Yeah, uh.” You cleared your throat. It was getting hot. “I’m really glad too.”