Can Ram Say, "I Love You."?

Send This to Someone You Love

It had already been thirty minutes, and Ram could tell that Duen wasn't coming out of the library anytime soon. Though the doctor-to-be claimed that picking up a book would only take five minutes, he knew the second that he saw Bohn walk in that it would take longer. Still, like an idiot, the silent boy sat a few meters away from the entrance on the floor, making sure to huddle under the shade.

Staring at grass can only entertain a person for so long. With a small huff, Ram pulled out his phone and clicked on the YouTube app. There were videos on how to defeat levels of Legend of Zelda, Pokémon battles he hadn't seen yet, and girls complaining about their latest shopping experience. He quickly scrolled past dozens of uninteresting thumbnails. His thumb suddenly came to a halt at the title, "send this to someone you love & appreciate with no context."

Only a couple of days had passed since Ram's first attempt at telling King that he loved him. After that embarrassing experience, it had taken him a while to come up with a new plan of how to explain his feelings. There were so many ways to confess your love, but it was difficult to choose which one to do when you were helplessly shy. Ram had even practiced saying the words in the mirror and couldn't get them out to save the life of him. If he couldn't say it out loud by himself, how the heck was he going to say it to King?

This had to be a sign. Sending this YouTube video to King would get the message across that he loved him. With a heart full of hope, he clicked on the video and began to watch.

A thin boy with bright green pants and a striped shirt was dancing on screen with sunglasses hiding his identity. As his hands moved around the screen, words would pop up.

"Hi there. This video for you. I have something I really need to tell you. I can't in real life because I am shy. I really like you. You are my favorite human in the universe. I think you're truly exceptional. I support, care, respect, admire, and appreciate you. You are kind, generous, reliable, beautiful, and helpful. I never want you to leave me. Please. I adore you. I love you."

The last half of the video was the strange boy dancing to a heavy rap song and exploded heart emojis over the screen.

Ram felt a large smile glue to his face as he watched the video. It was so accurate. He was too shy to tell King he loved him in person. King was all of those things mentioned in the video and more. Throughout his viewing, he couldn't help and think of King the entire time.

He imagined what King's reaction would be if he saw the video. Knowing him, he would giggle at the silly parts and blush at the compliments. Ram almost thought about sending it to him when he wasn't around but decided that being next to him was the better option. He had to see the look on his boyfriend's face.

"Ai'Ning, why are you sitting here?" King settled comfortably next to him and peered over to see what he was looking at.

Defensively, Ram protected his phone and gave him a startled look. "I'm waiting for Duen," he said.

It was weird to see King in person after daydreaming about him for several minutes. It was like watching your dream come to life. Usually, dreams stayed in your head. But Ram was fortunate enough to make every dream become a reality. King made dreams of his come true that he didn't even know he had.

"Why can't I see your phone? Are you flirting with someone else on there?" he chuckled at his own joke and poked Ram's cheek with his now healed finger.

"You can. I'll send you what I'm doing," Ram said.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

His legs began to feel like jelly in response to his shaking body and nervous heart. He was about to do it. This was the moment that Ram had been preparing for. Love really did like to sneak up on you.

He angled his body in a way that King couldn't see and clicked on the video. Just as he was about to send it to him, his screen blacked out.

Disappointed, Ram showed King his screen and pressed his power button a couple times.

"Convenient timing for your phone to die, don't you think?" King said. Though he sounded skeptical, the undertone of sarcasm was strong.

"Another time," Ram said softly. King peered at the library door.

"Why don't we ditch the two lovebirds and grab something to eat? There's a new pizza place I want to try out," King suggested.

Without approval, he stood up and dusted himself off. A hand was extended to the pale face. Ram's stomach grumbled in response. Concerned, he looked back at the library building.

"I'll text Bohn that you're with me," King assured him. Ram accepted his offer and hoisted himself up. King gave hand a light squeeze and started down the sidewalk.

If he wanted to tell King that he loved him, he was going to have to be more explicit. Just like how King's pick up lines failed, Ram had to be more vocal about what was in his mind. He thought that he could do that in an adorably clever way, but that idea didn't seem to be in his favor.

Another time, Ram. Another time.

Notes:

This chapter is inspired by a real video I found online! Please, watch the video if you can. It is really funny. I like imagining that this is what Ram saw and thought of King the entire time.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fR94MOsc3BM