Three years later...
My body is waking up against my will. I still feel like I have a good two hours left in me that I can sleep, so I don't open my eyes. I try tugging the blanket over my body only to be met with disappointment because Leo is hogging it all. And to make things worse, I hit my elbow on the wall while trying to steal the blanket.
All I want to do is sleep.
Curse these tiny dorm beds. I'm sure they are big enough for the average size person, but definitely not two people, especially when one of us weighs over two hundred pounds and is bulked up with pure muscle.
If I thought Leo was muscular in high school, then man, I was wrong compared to now. Every inch of his skin is covered in lean but powerful strength. Every time he moves even one part of his body, all his muscles flex under the movement. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't hot.
I'm still pretty small and skinny, to be honest. My body hasn't changed much since I've been in college. I go on runs with Leo sometimes, but that's not doing much for my muscle mass. Sometimes I get a little envious of my boyfriend's body, but I know Leo loves me the way I am. Plus, who am I kidding? I'd probably look weird if I were that bulky, and I'm too lazy to go to the gym all the time.
A little chill runs through my body. I instantly push my body into Leo's, pressing my face into his chiseled back to hopefully feel some of his warmth.
Leo and I haven't gotten to sleep next to each other for a couple of weeks now, so this is really nice.
Since we are dating, the college obviously wouldn't let us room together, especially since some people already knew who we were with Leo's football skills and my past attention from the media. However, Leo and I were just fine with that. In fact, we decided that we didn't want room together well before that.
I think part of being in a healthy relationship is space. Even though we are together a lot of the time, I like knowing that I have somewhere to go when I just want to be alone. If Leo and I ever want some alone time, we don't take it personally and respect the other person's independence. That's probably one of my favorite things about us. Trust, respect, and open communication are some things that have defined our relationship since day one, so I'm glad that even after four and a half years, we still stick true to these values.
That being said, sometimes I just really want to fall asleep next to my boyfriend—listen to his slow breathing, feel my skin against his, and wake him up with little kisses in the morning. But out of respect for our roommates, we don't sleep over in each other's dorms if someone else is there. Luckily, Leo's roommate went on a short three-day trip with his girlfriend, so it's just us in his dorm room right now.
Along with that, D1 football is a big commitment, and I've seen it firsthand being with Leo. Usually, he would already be out of bed by this time, but since they had a game yesterday, they have the entire day off today.
Leo absolutely loves it, though. He loves the team, he loves the program, and he, of course, loves getting to show off his skill.
It's like a repeat of high school with how famous Leo is at UF. He doesn't mind the attention too much, though. And with how much I've improved with my anxiety and public speaking, I don't mind it too much either when I'm with him. That being said, just because my anxiety has improved doesn't mean that I'm magically not shy anymore, but it's all a work in progress.
I thought that Leo being bisexual would affect his popularity, but I think it only made him more famous. The queer kids love his representation, respective athletes love his talent, and I've even heard some girls say that it makes him hotter...but that doesn't matter because he's all mine and I'm all his.
As I finally feel myself drifting back to sleep, I hear the doorknob jiggle.
That's very strange, considering Leo's roommate is out of town.
I press myself further into Leo as I hear people advance into the room. I don't even look to see who it is because nobody knows that I'm here in the first place. Not only that, but Leo is still asleep, so if we are getting murdered, at least I can say that I died with the love of my life.
I nearly die of a heart attack as multiple air horns go off without warning.
"Wakey, wakey, Gaines!"
"Leo!"
"Let's get up and at 'em!"
"Get the fuck up, sleepyhead!"
Someone even shakes his shoulder but somehow still doesn't see me lying on the bed behind him.
My boyfriend groans and starts shifting on the bed while a chorus of annoying air horns continues to wail at us.
"Okay, okay, I'm up," he says groggily. He sits up in bed and rubs his eyes to dispel all of the remaining sleepiness. I remain motionless on the bed, not wanting to create an awkward moment.
Thankfully, the irritating buzzing of the air horns dies down.
"Come on, a couple of us are going out to get breakfast," one of the guys says, and I instantly recognize the voice.
After a couple of years at UF, I know most of the football players on the team, at least the ones closest to Leo. I'm not as close with them as with Sawyer, Vincent, and Hayden, but they are still pretty cool to be around. I love that since most of the team respects Leo, they automatically respect me too. It's such a great feeling.
"What?" Leo grunts disorientedly.
"Do you need me to spell it out for you, Gaines?" Ronnie mocks. "Get. Your. Ass. Out. Of. Bed."
"Why so early?" Leo groans.
"What do you mean early?" Jack laughs. "It's almost 11."
"Shit, really?" Leo says in shock.
"Yes, now throw some clothes on so we can get going," Darian says, throwing a sweatshirt in my boyfriend's face. The sleeve happens to hit me in the face too.
"Some of the team is already there, and they're waiting for us," Pierce adds.
"You couldn't just text me and let me know yesterday?" Leo chuckles.
"Spontaneous is what we do best," Jack shrugs.
"Alright, well—"
Of course, I have to go and blow my cover by sneezing.
Everyone in the room instantly goes quiet except for Leo, who starts laughing.
"Um...that wasn't any of us, right?" Darian says, confused.
I huff before sitting up in bed and staring at the four wide-eyed football players. Each of them is holding a small blow horn and looks at me with surprise. I go red when I realize I only have underwear on, but Leo quickly pulls the blanket up and holds it in front of my chest. I look at him shyly, giving him a slight nod of thanks.
"Dude, I thought you said he wasn't here," Ronnie grumbles and punches Pierce.
"He wasn't supposed to be!" Pierce says defensively.
"Who's idea was it to bring fucking air horns?" Jack asks.
"You, dumbass," Darian spits.
"Great, now Leo's boyfriend is going to hate us," Pierce mumbles.
The four boys continue to quietly, but not so quietly, fight in the corner.
Leo and I glance at each other. He gives me a soft smile before slipping his sweatshirt—the one that Darian threw at him—over my head. He gives me a soft peck on the temple before wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling our hips together. I rest my cheek on his shoulder as we stare at the still-arguing boys in the room.
"You know what? Why are we talking about him like he isn't right fucking there?" Ronnie says, gesturing to me.
All of the boys go quiet when they look at me.
"Sorry," Pierce says first.
The other three boy's apologies instantly follow.
"We didn't mean to wake you up," Jack adds.
"It's okay," I giggle softly. "I was already up, I promise." The football players instantly relax. "Besides, it was kinda funny."
"Sorry, Leo," Jack says. "We didn't know you were with your boyfriend, so you can take a rain check on breakfast. Not everyone is there anyways."
I don't even have to look at my boyfriend to know he wants to go.
I look up at him with a soft smile. "Go on, Leo. I have some homework I need to do anyway."
"You sure?"
"Mhm," I assure.
Leo turns back to his friends. "Okay, give me at least thirty minutes, and then I'll be there."
"Thirty?!" Darian says in outrage.
"Oh, shut up," Leo laughs. "You guys always stay and talk for hours."
"Fair point," Darian responds.
"Okay, we'll get out of your hair now, but I'm counting on you, Gaines. Thirty minutes." Jack makes a gesture where two fingers point to his eyes before he points at Leo—a warning that he's watching him.
"Yeah, yeah, I'll get there when I get there," Leo waves him off.
The guys say their quick goodbyes before shuffling out of the door.
"Are you sure, baby?" Leo says, soothing his hand across my back. "I thought we agreed that we should have a day to ourselves."
"It's okay," I giggle, loving my boyfriend's concern. "I can have you all to myself when you get back and every day until your roommate returns."
Leo gently puts a hand on my shoulder, pushing me back down onto the bed. He instantly cages me under his form and begins to lean closer and closer to my face. My eyes flutter shut as I expect him to kiss me...but he doesn't.
I open my eyes to see him hovering above me with such a charming smile that it causes the butterflies to go crazy in my stomach.
Even after all this time, he never fails to make my heart race.
"Have I ever told you that you're cute?" he whispers.
"Hm...I don't think so," I joke. "Have I ever told you that you're handsome?"
"I don't recall," he says back, leaning closer to my face but still not touching our lips together.
"Have I ever told you that—"
"Just kiss me, Leo," I smile.
"As you wish," he grins, giving me a soft and loving kiss on my mouth.
I make a small noise in contentment before pulling his body closer to mine. As my lips are busy, I feel all across his shoulders and back, loving the way the warmth of his skin ripples under my fingertips.
"Is this why you wanted thirty minutes?" I whisper against his luscious lips.
"Maybe," he smirks, locking his lips with mine in another deep kiss.
I giggle into the kiss, embracing my boyfriend's strong body over me. I feel him slip a hand under my sweatshirt and delicately rest on my side. Wanting to feel every ridge and dip of his body, I drag my hands across his abs. My hands travel up to his chest, where I can feel his heart subtly pick up pace. My hands then trail to his arms. I give a light squeeze of his bicep, but he immediately pulls back from our kiss with a hiss, the way you would when you burn your hand on something.
I look at him with confusion as he gets up from the bed and stands in the middle of the dorm with his back facing me.
"Shit, I forgot," he mumbles to himself.
"Leo," I say, concerned. I slowly get up from the bed and walk toward him. "Are you hurt?"
"No...no, I'm fine," he admits, but it almost sounds...nervous?
"Leo," I say softly, walking in front of him to face him.
He's protectively holding a hand over his inner arm.
"Are you sure you're okay? Why didn't you go to the trainer?"
I reach forward to try to move his hand away from whatever injury he is covering on his arm, but he steps back, almost like he is scared.
"Leo," I whisper, stepping towards him again. "Let me take care of it for you. I don't like seeing you hurt. Just trust me."
I plant a tiny kiss on his shoulder before reaching for his hand again. This time he doesn't try to fight it when I slowly uncover the inside of his bicep.
I gasp and step back when he reveals his supposed 'injury.'
Along the expanse of his inner arm, running from his armpit to his elbow, is an elegant tattoo of three budding Lisianthuses, complete with dainty stems and leaves. The tattoo is only inked in black, but it is stunningly gorgeous.
"O-Oh my god," I whisper, feeling completely speechless. "Is that...I-Is that real?"
Leo gives me an awkward smile. "Yeah?"
I step closer and gently run my fingers along his inked skin. Every detail is marked with perfection. I can't help it when the tears start building in my eyes.
"I wanted to surprise you after it was completely healed," he says softly. "I got it last week since we had a bye week...Do you like it?"
"I-I love it," I sniffle, giving him a tearful but happy smile. "It's beautiful."
"I-I didn't know how you would feel about it at first," he says, beginning to ramble. "It hurts like a bitch, and it's been hard to keep it hidden for this long. We've just never really talked about tattoos before, but I wanted something to remind me of you forever. And I just—"
"Leo," I interrupt, grabbing his hand. "It's perfect. I love it so much."
"Really?"
"Yes," I giggle, wiping my tears away.
He smiles in relief before immediately leaning down and picking me up. I squeal at the sudden action but easily wrap my legs around my boyfriend's waist, loving it when he does this. I wrap my arms around his neck and plant my lips on his, sighing with so much love for my football boy.
"I love you, Leo," I whisper against his lips.
"I love you more," he says back cheekily.
"No, I love you more," I argue.
"Nope," he quips.
"Don't start with me," I huff before kissing him again. He laughs into our kiss before walking to a different part of the dorm with me still securely tucked in his arms. "Where are we going?"
"You wanna shower with me before I go?" he asks, already walking through the bathroom door. He sets me on the countertop before turning on the shower.
"Mhm," I giggle.
We both strip before hopping into the steaming shower full of not-so-innocent touching and kisses.
»»————- ♔ ————-««
After doing my creative writing assignment for what felt like hours, I finally went to get food in the dining hall after my stomach was screaming at me.
By the time I left Leo's dorm, it was already 4. I thought Leo was joking when he said that the football guys could talk for hours, but I guess that was the truth.
Currently, I am heading back to his dorm with a full stomach. I don't know if he's back yet. It's kind of sad to admit, but I've missed him since this morning.
I talk to some people in college, but it's still quite challenging for me to get to know new people. Besides, Leo always has his meals with me, so it felt exceptionally empty eating by myself today. It's okay, though, because Leo looks out for me. Since he's been out all day, he will probably be super clingy when he gets back because he feels bad. No matter how many times I assure him he doesn't have to feel guilty, he always does if hanging out with the team interferes with our alone time.
I continue walking through Leo's residence hall, hoping he has returned in the time I've been gone. I don't have a keycard, so I'm praying that he's in his room and that I didn't do all this walking for nothing.
When I test the doorknob, thankfully it is unlocked. I walk straight in, and my boyfriend sits in his desk chair with his back facing me. I hear the blasting music from his headphones as I walk closer and see that he's working on homework. He still doesn't notice me.
All of a sudden, Leo throws his head back, eyes clenched shut, and has an air guitar solo concert. I quietly laugh as he continues to embarrass himself right in front of my eyes.
After thirty seconds, now that he has exhausted all of his imaginary guitar strings, he goes right back to doing his homework like it didn't even happen.
I quietly watch as he starts writing on his paper, the underside of his arm exposed so I can see the tattoo peeking out from his white t-shirt.
I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. He has a tattoo of our special flower on his arm and showed it to me like it was no big deal. It's absolutely beautiful too. Over the years, Leo has continued to show his love for me in romantic ways, but I think this tops the cake. It's something so personal to us that is permanently marked on his skin. I know Leo doesn't show it much around the team anymore, but he's still the same softie I met in high school. I've missed his weekly Lisianthuses since we left Greenville, too.
We only have one more year left of college after we finish this year. I love college, no doubt, but I also love growing older with Leo because I can't wait for him to pop the question. Of course, our future is something that we've talked about before, but we always skate around the topic of marriage. I think we are both too anxious and excited about it. Leo has already said before that if he proposes, it'll be after college, so we don't have to worry about planning it while trying to keep up our education.
With all this talk about eventually tying the knot with Leo, the heat is rising to my face at lightning speed. Before I can think about it any longer, I tap my boyfriend on the shoulder.
He immediately looks over his shoulder with a blinding smile on his face. He tosses his headphones on the desk before swiveling his chair around to face me.
"You know, in another life, I'd bet you'd be a great rockstar with your guitar skills," I tease.
"You saw that?" he groans.
"Every second," I laugh.
Leo still hasn't touched me yet. I'm sure that in about thirty seconds, he is going to give in, showing me affection with his favorite love language.
"It was kind of cute, kind of dorky," I shrug.
"Okay, poetry geek," he retorts. His hand twitches in his lap.
Fifteen more seconds...
"When did you get back?" I ask softly.
"About twenty-five minutes ago."
"Leo," I pout. "I left about thirty minutes ago. We could've eaten together."
"Aw, I'm sorry," he says sincerely. "I should've shot you a text."
"I'm just messing with you," I assure.
And three...two...one...
"Come here, baby," he says, tugging my arm.
I giggle but climb into his lap as his hands continue to pull me closer to him. I slip my legs through the holes of the chair and underneath the armrests as his hands slip under my shirt and rub soothing circles on my back.
Yep, clingy Leo will always be my favorite.
"Did you have fun with the team?" I whisper, resting my head on his shoulder.
"Yeah, it was great," he responds. "But now I just want to spend the rest of the night with my angel."
I plant a soft kiss on his neck as he plays with my hair.
"I thought you were doing homework?"
"Not any more now that you're here," he chuckles, the sound vibrating through my body and giving me little tingles.
"Leo," I smile. "You can go ahead and finish. I'll just stay comfortable right here."
"You sure?" he asks, giving me a little kiss in my hair.
"Yep."
The chair immediately swivels around, and within a minute, I hear his pencil repeatedly touch the paper again as he begins to write.
It's weird, but I just love being around him. We don't even have to talk and I feel complete. College has been pretty busy for both of us, so we don't hang out as much as we'd like to, but it's okay because when we do see each other, we make it count.
After about fifteen minutes of me resting my head against my boyfriend's shoulder in contentment, I hear his pencil lower onto the desk. In a matter of seconds, his big arms squeeze me so tight that he almost sucks all the air out of my lungs.
"T-Too tight," I choke out.
"Oops, sorry," he laughs, immediately loosening his grip but continuing to hug me.
I lift my head up so I can look at his face. His freckles are still as prominent as the day I met him. He now has soft smile lines forming at the corner of his mouth. His ocean-blue eyes contrast his olive skin in an ethereal light.
I brush my fingers through his now medium-length honey-brown locks before running my finger across his chiseled jawline.
"You're beautiful," I whisper, planting a kiss on the corner of his mouth.
"Still not as pretty as you," he whispers back.
His eyes flick down to my lips, and he immediately leans in to kiss me, but just to tease him, I turn my head sideways. He kisses my cheek and tries to catch my lips, but I turn my head again.
"Asherrr," he whines. Yep, my 6'4, famous college athlete, heartthrob of the nation, and future NFL star boyfriend just whined because I wouldn't kiss him.
"You're ridiculous," I giggle, planting my lips on his.
I expect him to steal my usual line, but he continues to embrace my mouth on his.
"I have a challenge for you." I try to pull away, but he keeps kissing me.
"You can tell me in a sec," he whispers against my lips, his mouth still softly moving against mine.
I laugh, not even trying to reciprocate his kisses, but he continues to pucker his mouth against my smiling lips.
"Okay, Leo," I huff, grabbing his cheeks and physically moving him back.
He pouts.
"I challenge you to go twenty-four hours without kissing me."
"I don't like this challenge," he says, immediately leaning forward, but I put my hand over his mouth before our lips connect.
"Listen, Leo—"
He gently pries my hand off his mouth and interrupts me.
"Am I being punished?" he says like a beaten-down puppy. "I know I've been busy the past few weeks, and I'm sorry for that. I know that football takes up a lot of my time, but if it makes you sad, then tell me how we can fix it. You know I love you more than anything. I don't want you to feel like I'm forgetting about you because I would never do that. How can—"
"Leo," I whisper, delicately grasping his face so I can stare straight into his eyes. "It isn't like that at all. It was just an innocent joke."
"I-I just feel so busy all the time, and I don't want you to feel like you're fading into the background," he says worriedly. "You never will be. I can promise you that. I'm sorry if I get too clingy or affectionate around you, but it's hard to control myself. I'm sorry I keep forcing myself on you when I barely spend enough time with you. I feel like such a shitty boyfriend."
"Hey, Leo," I whisper, pressing his honey-brown strands of hair against his neck as I soothe my hand over the tense spot. "It's okay."
"But i-it's not okay," he argues back, the emotion shining in his eyes. He starts to get breathless, panicking like I've never seen before. "A-Ash," he says shakily.
I don't know how my innocent challenge turned into my boyfriend getting emotional, but that's not what I'm concerned about, as I immediately want him to feel better.
I cradle his head to my chest, and I feel his wet tears bleed through my shirt and onto my skin.
"Leo," I whisper, planting kisses in his hair. "Why are you crying?"
"I'm so stressed o-out," he admits, burying his face further into my shoulder. "I thought it would be just as easy as high school, but it's not. Everyone's watching me. Outlets are reaching out and pressuring me to speak up for all LGBT athletes. There are too many brand deals and so much shit that I-I can't keep up with it. I love football, I love it so fucking much, but it's becoming hard for me to focus. But when I'm with you, it's like my mind completely clears. You help settle the heavy weight on my c-chest, but since I haven't seen you a whole lot lately, it just feels like the pressure is continuously rising, and I can't breathe. You're my safe place, and it feels like I can't even say that to you without feeling guilty. It's just too much right now, and I-I..."
His breath catches in his throat, and he can't speak anymore.
"Leo, listen, I'm right here," I say calmly, trying to get him to focus on me, but his breathing is unsteady and his hands are shaky. I rest my forehead against his. "Breathe with me, okay?"
He nods shakily before following my deep breaths. He stutters a couple of times, but eventually, his pulse settles to normal again. However, his tears are still free-falling.
I tip his chin up before kissing his lips. Instantly, the tension drops from his shoulders. His hands stop shaking against my body. It's like a safety blanket settles over his skin, ensuring him of tranquility away from the outside world.
To Leo, kissing isn't only a form of affection. It helps him clear his head and ease his stress...No wonder he likes it so much.
Leo always wants to be strong. Even after years of dating and openness, it's still his biggest weakness. Just thinking about my smiling boyfriend this morning compared to now shows me that he has been hiding this baggage for a while and doing a damn good job of it, considering I didn't notice.
I break away from our kiss, where even still, Leo's lips try to chase mine.
"God, how long have you been dealing with this?" I mutter sadly, throwing my arms around his neck.
"Too long," he confesses. "I-I kept trying to tell you, but I didn't want to disappoint you, and then I was already s-scared that you were mad at me for not making enough time for you, a-and then—"
"Shh, it's okay," I assure, not wanting my boyfriend to get worked up again. "Shh."
Even though I'm the one sitting in his lap right now, I'm giving him all the protection he needs.
It hurts to think that in my early years of high school, I was feeling this exact same way. I would never wish this feeling on anyone, and it hurts to see my boyfriend suffer. The difference between us, though, is I had dealt with anxiety and suffocation in a career that I didn't want, but Leo is dealing with it in a career that has always been his dream.
"I'm not going anywhere," I whisper in his ear. "In high school, didn't I tell you that?"
He nods into the crook of my neck.
"It's true, Leo. It's perfectly okay if you forget to text me good morning sometimes, or we don't get to see each other because I will still be here. You're my one and only, and I will gladly wait for you. Juggling your time and running on a routine schedule in your head must be so hard to deal with alone, and I only wish you had told me sooner. We could work through it together, the way we always do. I mean, come on. We're Asher and Leo."
His body shakes slightly as he huffs into my neck, almost like a soft laugh.
"I know football is your dream, but it's okay to take a break. It's also okay to say no—to the media, to the brand deals, to whatever is making you stressed. You've been the Golden Boy for so long that you don't know how to be imperfect. I'm telling you that it's okay to let loose, to have a day to yourself, and of course, it's always okay to cuddle up to me. But it will get better, Leo. Once you set your mind on something, you make it happen. That's one of my favorite things about you. If this is a dream you've had since middle school, don't let all the outside things distract you because I will be here to support you. I will always be your peace away from the chaos because that's what you are to me."
I lay kisses all across the side of his face and hear him blissfully sigh; only now I know it's because my affection is his security blanket during college.
He cracks a small smile and his sniffles halt.
"You are terrible at taking your own advice, you know?" I giggle. "When I was going through this similar thing in high school, I always went to you because you said you would help comfort me. I can do that for you too. You can put up your strong facade for the media but don't do it for me."
"I'm sorry," he finally says again, not making eye contact with me.
"No more apologies," I smile, hoping to make him feel better. "Leo, even if it's the middle of the night and you need to talk or even want a distraction from it all, please talk to me. I swear I won't be mad because I always love seeing you. Besides, I love kissing you too." I give him a long peck on the cheek for good measure. "Don't be sad anymore. I don't like seeing you sad. Okay?"
He takes a deep breath and nods. "T-Thank you."
"No need to thank me, superstar," I tease. "What are boyfriends for?"
There's a bashful smile on his face, one that's only exclusive to me. I watch as his eyes flick down to my lips before returning to my eyes with a tentative expression.
I let out a small laugh before connecting our lips one more time. His entire body turns to jelly. I soothe my fingers down his arm, and I feel a little twitch of his shoulder. I keep my eyes open and watch as the tense crinkle lines around Leo's eyes become less and less prominent as he melts in my hold. He completely relaxes around me, and he can't get that anywhere else.
"Come on," I say, climbing off his lap and grabbing his arm. "Let's watch a movie."
"Okay," he responds quietly, my boyfriend still revealing his shy and vulnerable self to me.
I lean against the headboard of the bed, and Leo instantly rests the back of his head on my stomach.
"Any suggestions?" I ask softly.
"No, you can pick...I want you to pick."
My boyfriend just wants to be taken care of.
"Okay." I scroll through a list of popular Netflix movies and pick one randomly. I hold the phone screen in front of us with one hand and use the other to play with Leo's hair.
Within a matter of minutes, Leo is softly snoozing on my chest.
I know he is going to feel guilty in the morning about falling asleep so early when he didn't get to spend enough time with me, but he really needs some rest. Besides, he still has to wake up early for football practice anyways.
Leo is the sweetest person I know, but sometimes I feel like he neglects his own needs because he's too busy caring about someone else. That's okay, though, because I'll help him in whatever way he needs.
The movie immediately cuts off as I get a call from none other than Corbin Jones, a.k.a our old high school football coach.
I answer the call, and he instantly appears on the other side of the screen with a hearty smile.
"Hey, little King. How's it going?" Coach Jones asks.
"Pretty good," I giggle softly, sure not to wake up Leo. "How are you doing?"
"Same old, same old. The team's causing me trouble as usual," he smiles. "I tried calling Leo and he wouldn't answer his phone, but I assumed you two were together."
"Yeah, we are," I laugh, pointing the phone downward to show Leo asleep on my stomach.
"It looks like he's wearing himself out, alright. The same thing I told him he shouldn't do," Coach playfully rolls his eyes.
"I told him the same thing, Coach," I admit.
"Stop calling me Coach," he laughs. "Just call me Corbin."
"It feels too weird," I tease.
In the background of Coach Jones's FaceTime call, I hear a familiar voice.
"Hey, babe, I'm home," Esther says sweetly. I watch their sweet interaction as Esther kisses his cheek before noticing the phone. "Asher," she smiles. "It's so good to hear from you!"
"Hi, Esther," I giggle. "I miss you."
"Aw, miss you too, honey. Where's Leo, by the way?"
I flick the phone screen again to show him softly snoring.
"Figures," she laughs.
She turns to Coach Jones again, and I watch their little moment through the camera.
"I'm gonna get started on dinner," she whispers, kissing his cheek.
"No, no, no," he protests. "You just had a long day at work. Let me take care of it, okay?"
Esther nods before she goes completely out of the frame as movement shakes the screen, and I can only imagine that Coach Jo—Corbin is moving to the kitchen to start dinner.
It's so lovely watching someone take care of Esther. She's raised Leo on her own with no support whatsoever, but now someone is taking care of the strong woman she has become. I'm so happy for her.
Esther and Coach Jones started talking after me and Leo's first semester of college. The news of them dating definitely shocked both of us, but the times that we have been back home, we observed their sweet dynamic and couldn't think of a better match.
I'll admit that Coach Jones was quite a scary man when I first met him. He had a gruff voice, high masculine energy, and a very serious game face, but he also had a soft side—one that Leo recognized a long time ago and one that he is now exposing Esther to.
I know it was weird for Leo at first, especially since it was his high school coach whom he already knew, but I couldn't think of a better person to eventually be his stepdad. Coach Jones has always treated him like a son, and now that is becoming a reality. I know Coach Jones is over the moon to be someone special to him, and I know Leo now feels the same.
Coach Jones checks up on us almost as much as my dad does, which is saying a lot.
As for my dad, he's still a loner, but he's perfectly content with that. I don't think he likes that I went so far away after he could officially call me his son, but I could never forget about the man who I can proudly call dad.
"You keeping up with your classes okay?" Coach Jon—Corbin asks me.
Through the phone screen, I am staring up at the ceiling, but I can see a tiny sliver of his cap on his head. I hear fresh sizzling like he just put something on the stove. He pops in and out of the phone screen, simultaneously talking to me and making dinner for his love.
"Yeah, it's not too bad," I admit. "I like that I'm actually studying something I like."
"That's good," he muses, and I hear the slight clang of a wooden spoon against a pot.
"Is Leo doing alright?" A tinge of worry is evident in his tone.
"He's a little stressed," I say honestly. "But I'm here for him. I think he needs to focus less on being a people pleaser and do what he wants."
"He's always been too nice," Corbin laughs. "Who would've known that could be his strength and weakness?"
My sweet boy, I think as my fingers continue to card through his hair.
"Alright, well, I'm gonna let you go. You must be tired, too," Corbin smiles. "Take care of him, little King."
"Always," I assure before the call is cut off.
The sun is finally starting to set. It's only 7, so I'm not tired. However, I'm perfectly content with cuddling Leo until I fall asleep.
I like our little bubble in college. Of course, there have been some challenges and struggles, but as usual, we always help each other out of the mud.
We only have a little time left of the best years of our lives before we officially jump into the real world. Leo will have no problem with that. He just needs assurance, which I will gladly provide. I don't want my boyfriend to be stressed about all the attention and managing his time anymore. Besides, his dream is almost at the tip of his fingertips, and I won't let him bury himself under his own critiques. He can't be strong all the time, and that's perfectly okay.
He's still my everything, and I'm still his. No matter what happens in our lives, we are entangled together in the best way possible. There is no losing love from this point on, only falling deeper and deeper into each other's hearts. I'm here to support, and love, and cherish, and have fun with him.
He's having a rough patch, but hey, we all do.
Here's to the future of growing old with my best friend.