Royce was doing his homework, textbooks spread all over the floor as he sat with his legs criss-cross, accompanied by Nathan who wasn't really focused on the studying part and chewed on a bubblegum.
"Hey, Royce?" Nathan called, turning to look at him with a certain sparkle in his eyes which Royce found rather fascinating. He often wears that adorable look when he was overflowing with excitement or had a new idea.
"Hm?" Royce hummed to show he was listening, his pen moving at an extremely fast pace to write down his answers.
"What if . . . I start calling you Ray from now on?" Nathan questioned nervously, his voice small and face twisting into full of doubts. Maybe he was already having second thoughts.
"Works for me." Royce didn't think too much about it and responded with a shrug. "Why the sudden change though?"
"I think . . ." His voice trailed off, fingers scratching the back of his head, rosy cheeks coated with embarrassment. "I think you are a ray of sunshine — as cheesy as that may sound. I realised that a while ago but wasn't sure how to tell you." His lips stretched into a tiny grin. "It suits you."
Royce's hand came to a pause as he flipped his eyes to look at the nine-year-old Nathan. He was quick to tackle the other boy in a bone crushing hug, causing him to squeak out loud and surprising both of them.
Royce snuggled into his neck, mumbling fondly. "You're so thoughtful, Nate."
"Shut up."
***
This chapter wasn't planned neither it was written in my outline but it just feels so right.
I hope you liked it! TCOFIL crossed 8k reads. A big thank you to everyone reading, voting and commenting on this story! <3