*fluff warning: this chapter is going to be so sugary it makes your teeth ache*
nathan dawson's pov:
"You can open your eyes now." Solar murmured in my ear and I let my eyes flutter open. When I saw where he had taken me, a delighted laughter escaped between my lips. I let him guide me to the swing and followed his example by laying down on my back on the ground.
When we were there last time, everything was different. He was still a stranger to me and I was so drunk I couldn't hold my tongue. Now he knew me better than anyone and I was so painfully sober and nervous that I couldn't get a word out of my mouth.
"I know we met at school for the first time, but taking you to a place where I punched you didn't feel like the best choice for a first date." Solar tilted his head to the side so that he could look at me. He smiled and tucked a lock of my hair behind my ear.
Solar's touch still made my skin tingle and my heart flutter in my chest. Being so close to him made me more nervous than I was around anyone else, but it also calmed me down.
"So, this is your idea of a perf*ct first date?" I asked, grinning with a mischievous glint in my eyes. "No candles, fancy dinner or classical music?"
"Who ever said I didn't bring us a fancy dinner?" Solar smirked, sat up and pulled a paper bag with a familiar logo printed on it from his backpack.
"That's what I call a high-class choice of a restaurant." I approved, accepting the box of french fries Solar handed me first. It was followed by a cold can of Coca-Cola and a humongous chocolate chip cookie. All from C&B's of course. My mouth was watering at the sight and I blurted out: "God, I love you so much right now."
Only when a deep blush creeped up on Solar's face, I realized what I had said. It was my turn to blush then. I quickly stammered: "I mean.. you know.. like.. uh, I'm not even going to say anything or I'll just end up making this worse."
Solar didn't say anything, he just smiled softly and leaned in to press a gentle kiss on my lips. Then he stayed there for a long while, his forehead against mine, until he eventually whispered: "Since you already said the L-word, and even if it was just your stomach talking, I have to be the one to say the B-word first. Right?"
"B-word? Like bitch? Brother? Boyfriend?" I halted, my eyes widening. "B-boyfriend?"
"I mean, only if you want —" Solar rubbed the nape of his neck, worried.
"I thought you'd never ask." I could feel a smile spreading on my lips, wide and beaming. When Solar still looked like he wasn't sure if I had said yes or not, I took a firm hold of the back of his head, kissed him with such intensity I must have been possessed and told him: "Yes, you bonehead, I want to be your boyfriend."
"Oh, thank the lord." Solar's grin was so wide I was surprised his face didn't split.
Once we remembered our fancy dinner, which was more like a breakfast or an early brunch but whatever, we dug in. All the while still grinning at each other between the bites, of course.
Solar was my wild card, the one that turned my life upside down, but it wasn't just that. I had changed as well, and still continued doing so. There was still the stuttering and I'm pretty sure there's no taking away the awkwardness from me, but I was learning to be okay with that.
If Solar could look at me like I was the most adorable thing in the universe and if he wanted to tell the world I was his boyfriend, I must have done something right. He was teaching me how to be confident in my skin, despite all my flaws. Being imperf*ct wasn't a bad thing, it was just a sign that you were real. A real breathing human being.
When we had consumed all the food and our bellies were comfortably full, we laid back down on the ground. I shifted closer to Solar, still amazed by the fact we were officially dating, and looked up to the sky. I was so happy I wanted to cry, but instead I let my smile grow bigger. Next to me, Solar was doing the same.
"Remember when you talked to me about the stars? And how looking at the sky made your troubles seem smaller?" I asked, tilting my head to the side to look at Solar again.
"Ugh, I'm still mortified about that." Solar chuckled, his smile turning to a grimace.
"Why? It was one of the first things that made me fall for you." I answered truthfully, surprised to find out Solar was feeling self-conscious about it.
"Well, I'm glad, because I was certain that my attempt to impress you was so cheesy I had managed to scare you away."
"You were trying to impress me?"
"Don't look so surprised." Solar nudged my shoulder. "You have no idea how cute you are, but everyone around you certainly does."
I thought back to the time Nicholas told me that everyone thought I was adorable. Cute and adorable were the kind of words I would have used of kittens and bear cubs, but I guess it was something.
"A-anyway." I cleared my throat and turned my gaze back to the sky. "The way a person talks about the things they're passionate about tells a lot about a character."
"Like the way you talked about my dad being a good host?" Solar smirked and wiggled his eyebrows, from which he earned a nudge on his shoulder.
"Shut up." It was my turn to grimace.
"Okay, sorry." Solar nudged my shoulder next. "The way you blurt out things also tells a lot about your character, and I love it so please keep it up."
Ugh, this guy.
My boyfriend.
Huh.
Who would have guessed.