Blair Silver

Part 30: Treasure

I smile a little. "Thanks, Jilly."

She returns my smile warmly and pulls me into a hug. "Of course, Theo. Now go."

I grin, pulling away from her. "Okay. I'll text you later."

"'Kay. See you."

"See you." We share a smile, and I turn towards the parking lot doors, pushing them open and going outside. My eyes go to Blair immediately, and he's already looking at me. I smile, and he does the same. I walk over to him, and when I get close, he steps away from the group of guys he's around him, giving me a hopeful look.

"So?"

I nod a little, and he beams at me, tentatively wrapping one arm around my waist. I happily let myself be pulled to his chest, sighing and burying my face in his chest. I tilt my head up, not caring about the guys behind Blair who may or may not be watching us. Blair lowers his face to mine, his breath ghosting over my lips.

"May I kiss you, Theo?"

I grin. "Have you been smoking?"

The tip of his nose brushes mine, sending a tingle through me. "I quit."

I pull away from him, shocked. "You quit smoking?"

He smiles and nods a little. One of the guys behind him mutters something about 'so that's why...'

I stare at him. "You quit."

"I quit."

I pull him down, catching his mouth with mine. He sucks in a breath, one of his hands sliding under my jaw to cup my cheek so, so gently, his lips softly caressing my own. I missed this so much. I missed him so much.

When he finally moves back, I can't stop smiling. "Was it hard?"

He pulls back enough to see me. "What?"

"Quitting."

He snorts and starts walking towards his car, arm still around my waist. He kisses my temple so tenderly my chest aches. "Yes. But it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be."

We're on the more private side of his mom's car, now (she parked close today. I can't say I'm upset). I lean into him, sighing contentedly. "I'm so proud of you."

His thumb draws light circles against my waist. "Thank you."

He sounds a little emotional. I look up at him, feeling my heart warm when I see his soft smile. I can't help from reaching up to kiss him again, every fibre of my being feeling alive with exhilarating bliss as his lips close over mine. I could cry right now, I'm so happy. This feels like exactly where I'm meant to be.

-

Blair and I have been back together for a week or two now. We didn't exactly pick up where we left off, but we also kind of did. It's like we went through the early stages of a relationship at a speed-walking pace. He's still adjusting to the new mindset of not having a pre-planned end to the relationship, and I'm trying to get used to not accepting pain as it comes. Before, with books or really anything else I cared deeply about, I was able to let it go, be sad, but accept it. This feels different, because I really don't want to lose Blair. I lost him once before because I didn't even bother to ask him to stay, and I don't want to make the same mistake again.

Aside from the newfound sincerity of relationship, though, it's not much different. I like it a lot. There's something new and sweet, but I still feel the way I always have with Blair; content, secure, and absolutely adored. I don't think I'll ever be able to forget the way that he makes me feel.

"What are you thinking about?" Blair asks, gently startling me from my reverie.

I snuggle closer to him. We're cuddling on his couch in his room, ignoring the show on his television that ended a few minutes ago and is now playing the credits. "About how lucky I am to have you."

"That's sweet of you," he murmurs, softly kissing my temple. "And here I was thinking how lucky I am to have you."

I smile and look up at him. It's getting late, now, and the evening sun is shining through his curtains. He looks beautiful in this light. The angles of his face are softened by the way the amber light reflects off his skin, making him glow. His eyelashes catch the sun and spin it into gold, and his eyes seem to capture it, turning a soft honey-jade colour.

"You're beautiful," I whisper almost inadvertently, not wanting to break the moment.

He leans forward to gently bump his nose against mine. "No more than you are."

I lean into him, smiling. His arms are around me, his thumb tracing circles around a vertebrae near the bottom of my spine. I sigh a little, content to just be close to him.

I know that this nice, happy moment won't last forever. We're going to have issues. He's going to hurt me, and I'll probably hurt him too. We'll have arguments and miscommunications. It won't always be perfect. And maybe it won't even last.

But that's okay. I have him right now, and we're both happy, and I wouldn't trade this moment for anything. Because that's what happiness is: treasuring good things while you have them. And as long as neither of us give up, as long as we both keep trying, I get the feeling that it'll be okay.

We will.

We made it! The last chapter!!! *sobs*

First: thank you so much for reading this book. It means a lot to me, especially since I originally wrote this book as a emotional recovery from writing Fine (which definitely took an emotional toll due to the homophobic content) so I wasn't particularly expecting a huge turnout. So I am very grateful and happy to know that so many people read and enjoyed this story!

What did you think of Theo's conversation with Jillian at the beginning of the chapter? How about the scene in the parking lot with Blair? And the last bit? Thoughts on the story overall?

And finally, if you enjoyed this chapter then please consider giving it a vote or comment to let me know! Thank you so much for reading and supporting this story!