The Boy Who Didn't Love

38 - his confession

  Living together was an even easier transition than they thought it'd be. They were already familiar with each other's habits, and they had quickly established a routine that worked for both of them.

She recognized the days where he needed some space by his behavior in the morning. He'd usually wake up earlier, go for a quick run, then hyper-fixate on his job for the majority of the day. She wouldn't disturb him, but instead waited for him to come to her—which he always inevitably would.

He, too, was learning her boundaries and trying his best to respect them, despite his difficulty with recognizing rules and understanding their purpose.

  However, like any other couple, they had their issues every once in a while.

  There was a time where a man flirted with her at work, and he acted very irrationally against the customer in spite of her efforts to stop him. She was upset with him for the next few days after he refused to apologize for how carelessly he treated her in that situation, lacking any shame for his reckless actions. They eventually came to a compromise in which he promised he'd be more considerate next time, and since he still couldn't earnestly apologize, he'd have to do all of the housework for the next two weeks instead.

He had also been annoyed with her a few times too, especially when she didn't let him manipulate someone once. She had intentionally interrupted him when he was mid-sentence, then proceeded to change the subject altogether. He didn't speak a word to her for the rest of the day, and when she finally asked why, he told her that he did not wish to be restrained. He explained that if she kept trying to subdue him, then he would inevitably grow to harbor some resentment towards her. Neither of them wanted that, so they agreed to both adjust their behaviors and do everything they could to prevent it from happening.

Living together certainly helped their relationship escalate into something even better than what they had before, an indication of a mature milestone. After all, there was always room for improvement.

Sawyer gazed at her as she watched TV, laying on her side with her legs across his lap on the couch. She was so fully immersed in the show that she didn't notice him looking at her for so long. He found her more and more beautiful with each passing day; she almost had an innately hypnotic effect over him.

"Damn, did you see that?" Ali asked as she briefly glanced over at him, then immediately looked back when she caught his unwavering gaze. A smile slowly crawled onto her face as she studied his deeply captivated expression. "What? What are you thinking about in there?"

He didn't respond for a moment as he recalled his conversation with Brady a while back, about a certain emotion he hadn't yet confessed to. Her attention returned to the TV when the screen flashed, but he easily captured it once again by leaning toward her. His hands teasingly glided up her body until it reached her face, which he gently caressed.

"Alice," he said softly, his face dangerously close to hers. Her eyes shot down to his lips as they brushed against hers, before she met his gaze again.

"Yes?"

Sawyer paused to tuck her hair behind her ears, then leaned his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. His voice was as toneless as usual, but it held a tenderness that was solely reserved for her. "I love you, Alice."

It was quiet for a moment, with only the sound of the TV in the background, and he opened his eyes to look down at her. She was smiling cheekily; he quirked an eyebrow at her. "I already know that, Sawyer. You've said it a thousand times in your sleep. I don't know what took you so long to say it when you're awake."

"With everything that happened with Nina, I didn't think it was the right time."

"That's really thoughtful of you," Ali murmured, knowing how much of a development this was for him, as she lifted her face up to kiss him. She, too, had been holding back her feelings for a while now, in fear of overwhelming him when she knew that love was such a heavy subject. When she first came to terms with her own emotions, she became haunted with the idea that he would never be able to reciprocate it because of his inherent nature, but she always convinced herself to dismiss those thoughts as manifestations of her own insecurities.

Now that she was hearing the words come out of his mouth, fluidly and easily as if it were as tangible as the oxygen in their lungs, she was finally able to release the psychological weight on her mind and body. She swept her fingers through his hair and beamed up at him, eager to declare her love for him at long last. "I love you too, Sawyer."

He smiled as relief passed through them both, then suddenly scooped her up from the couch and embraced her tightly. She laughed in his ear, making his smile widen, and hugged him back.

"I'm so glad we met, Alice."