I got to watch the sunset as we drove down the highway. As the sun sank slowly behind the blue mountains out in the distance, its light gave a warm yellow glow to the car, and it outlined Bad and Sapnap in the front seats. They listened to faint country music, and sometimes Bad would hum along. I never got to see the highway with the sun out and cars driving out far ahead of us. Something I had always seen as unused and empty was now full of the bustling life of the city.
We passed by multiple plazas full of stores and restaurants. Occasionally Sapnap would point one out and ask about it, and Bad would tell him what they offered and what he usually bought from it. They also talked about random other things like when Sapnap was going to stream again or how his classes were going. I think I heard Skeppy's name get thrown out, but I wasn't paying attention and had no idea what the context to that could be.
The area was beginning to become familiar, and I knew we were almost at Dream's house. The unsettling sound of my heartbeat grew in my ears. I could feel the throb in my eardrums, and it only got louder the closer we got.
Knowing what to say had since left my body, and thinking about Dream's reaction only made it worse. The more I thought about how he might react, the more disoriented my mind became. A part of me wanted Bad to turn the whole car around and say it was too late to do it now and that we'd come back tomorrow.
But I knew that wasn't going to happen, nor did I really want it to.
"You ready, George?" Bad asked, causing me to lose my train of thought.
"Huh?"
He looked at me through the mirror. "Do you know what you're gonna say?"
I slowly nodded, "Yes." No, I didn't. I had no idea.
"Well we're here," Bad said as he drove the final turn into Dream's street.
He stopped the car right in front of the house and they both turned around to me.
"Well go," Sapnap said when I didn't move.
"Are you guys not coming?"
"No. This is something you and Dream need to work out, not us."
"We're going to buy dinner. Just text us when you're done," Bad said.
"Okay." I pushed open the door and stepped out. The moment I shut the door, they each gave me a thumbs up and drove off. Well there was no going back now.
I held the blue alpaca behind my back as stepped up to the porch. Before I had even reached the door, it was thrown open. The tall boy with messy dirty blond hair stepped out, his cat in his hands. When he saw me, he jumped slightly.
"George," He mumbled, scratching his cat's head. "I-I didn't expect to see you here." He gazed back down.
"How'd you know I was there?" I asked.
"I didn't. I was about to go to the park." I gazed up at the sky. The sun was still setting. "Sometimes I like to watch the sunset," He added.
He turned around and gently placed Patches down inside the house before shutting the door and looking me in the eye. His eyes were dark, almost hollow. They weren't intense to look at anymore, but they weren't warm either. It was like staring out an open door at night; you could see inside, but you couldn't quite make anything out.
"What are you doing here?" He leaned against the door and looked around. "Where are Bad and Sapnap?"
"It's—uh—It's just me."
He crossed his arms. "Fine, what do you want?"
I shifted my weight between both my feet. My heart raced like it was running a marathon. The words were there at the tip of my tongue, and yet nothing came out.
"I..." I started. He straightened up.
"Yeah?"
I outstretched my arm with Scotty in my hand. I tried looking him in the eye, but it was like looking at the sun. "I'm sorry."
He stared down at the stuffed blue alpaca in my hand. "A stuffed animal doesn't change anything."
"I know," I muttered. "It's not supposed to." Just when I had finally put myself back together I could feel myself bubbling to explode. The sight of him was overwhelming. His voice made my racing heart race faster the more he spoke.
His eyes flickered between me and the alpaca before he took it from my hand. "Thank you, though."
He looked over Scotty. I was dying. This conversation could not go any slower. But I guess he didn't expect me, and I was the one who had to carry.
"I fucked up," I blurted out before I could quite process it, and his eyes shot up to me.
He let the smallest, most sad smile pull at his lips. "Yeah you did."
I looked over his shoulder at the door. "Can we go inside?"
"Oh right." He turned the knob and pushed the door open with his back. He entered the house and turned around to me. He didn't even sit down.
I shut the door behind me and leaned against it.
"So you're sorry?" He asked, crossing his arms.
I nodded. "Yes. I-I haven't really been very fair to you."
"No, you haven't."
"You don't have to agree with me verbally, Dream."
He chuckled, "Why? You're right for once."
I rolled my eyes, "I'm serious!"
"You're right, I'm sorry. I just... never-mind, keep going."
"Umm—" He was staring at me. "I've never been in love before. My first kiss was a dare, my first and only girlfriend only lasted a week. I've wanted to fall in love. I always wondered what it felt like. But I didn't expect to feel it with you."
Something in his eyes lit up. "Really? You love me?"
"Of course I fucking love you."
"Then why haven't you acted like it?"
"Because I've never been in love before."
He took a deep breath. "Okay, but you said you didn't want to love me."
"Because you're my best friend! I already loved you, Dream. It's always been me and you til the grave since we met. That's why I asked you to marry me and not Bad or Sapnap. If I was going to marry anyone, it was you. It was always you."
"That's sweet, but you didn't answer my question."
My eyes began to burn and the lump in my throat grew. "I didn't want to fall in love with you because you're the greatest thing that ever happened to me, Dream. And I know that if I fall in love, I'm going to mess it up somehow and lose you, and that's exactly what happened." Hot tears ran down my face and I acted quick to wipe them off before he noticed.
"George," He said quietly, "You're forgetting that I love you too. And when two people love each other, nothing can break them apart."
"I didn't want to risk losing you." More tears flooded my face, and a small hiccup came out.
"George, you're never going to lose me. Even if you never came over, I would have still called you and asked how your flight home was. We're still going to play Minecraft together whether you live here or London. I don't want to lose you either. I love you too much."
"Why were you so ready to just risk it all then?" I covered my face with my sweater paws, and they were becoming soaked fast.
"Because I know that if I love you and you love me, nothing's ever going to get between us."
"How are you so sure about that? I don't get it!" Hot tears raced out of my eyes.
He took a few steps closer to me and grabbed my hands. He gently lowered them, forcing me to look him in the eyes. "Well, I'm not. But are you seriously going to dwell on something neither of us want to happen? It's like you said. It's me and you til the grave whether we're boyfriends or not."
His eyes gazed hopefully over me. I could tell he had just been crying a little before I came. But they still looked at me the same way they did back in August at the airport. It gave me a fluttery feeling. One that I couldn't deny any longer. "Dream?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you."
He smiled, "To a certain degree?"
I let out a brief laugh, "No."
He laughed and intertwined his fingers with mine. "I love you, too."
"I'm sorry for everything. I put you through total Hell."
"Yeah you did. But it's okay. We'll be okay." He wiped away my tears. I could not tear my eyes away from him, like if I did he'd just disappear again. "And listen, I'm sorry too. I may have let my emotions get the best of me. I should have just let you explain everything right after it happened."
"I doubt I was going to anyway."
He nodded and ran his hand through my hair. I couldn't actually believe he was in front of me. He was touching me. He was running his fingers through my hair. He was real again. Even though it had only been a few days, it had to have been the longest few days I had ever endured. Not only an hour ago I wasn't even too sure when I'd hear his voice again. For all I knew, it had all just become a memory.
"God, I missed you so much," I sighed, and he laughed again.
"I missed you way more, trust me." He pulled me into a tight hug, and I immediately hugged back. Ocean scent invaded my nostrils, and I didn't mind one bit. His warmth absorbed me like a safety blanket. Everything I had so desired was right there in front of me. For the first time this entire trip, I felt alive.
"Never leave again," He whispered in my ear.
"I really have no choice now."
He laughed, and it was music to my ears because that was the most genuine laugh I had heard from him in days. He dug his face into my shoulder and hugged me tighter.
"Can we get married now?" I whispered into his ear.
He pulled away. "Not yet. There's one more thing we have to do." He walked passed me and over to the door. He opened it and gestured for me to walk out.
"We? What do I have to do?"
"Just stand in front of my parents and look pretty."
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Ayyyy posted this right at midnight (pst) lol
Aaaaaaand you did it! You made it through the angst! No more, I promise. That begs the question: the wedding. Courthouse or actual ceremony? You guys' choice. I have an idea for both and they both ultimately lead into the same ending so it doesn't matter.
Lowkey dttwt scares me idk how much longer I wanna be on there lol dtinsta is so much nicer, I wish I had something cool to post there tho lol
Also, idk what to do with the dream pov just lmk lol
About 2 or 3 more chapters left :)