The Exchange Day

22. CONFESSIONS

"I wanted to tell you properly, Sam."

Sam was surprised beyond belief. Noah confessing to him was something out of his dreams.

For how long had he liked him?

Noah resumed, "Zayn knew that I liked you. He suggested doing the things that you liked. So I tried helping you in any way I can and found ways to spend more time with you."

Oh, so that's why Zayn was so insistent on him going to the kissing booth. Now his meaningful smiles made sense.

"Did you plan something or what?" Sam asked in doubt.

Noah looked embarrassed at the mention of it. So he really was up to something.

"I bought all the doughnuts that you like eating from the cooking club's booth and decided to make a heart with your name out of it." Noah shook his head in embarrassment. "Now that I think of it, it sounds so cringy. But this one website said it would work."

Sam snorted in amusement. Noah was so adorable.

"Don't laugh. I was so nervous that you won't show up at all. I didn't even kiss anybody while I waited for you and then when you came, you ran off like that."

Aww, Noah was now pouting.

Sam hugged him tightly. It all felt like a dream. However, it also left like it wasn't. Noah's body heat felt real, his arms wrapping around him felt real, his scent felt real and the beats of his heart thumping against his chest felt too real to be a dream.

"Pinch me," Sam demanded, pulling away.

"What? Why?"

"Pinch me so that I know it's not a dream." Sam was too afraid that it would be his sweetest dream and when he would wake up, none of this would be true.

Noah perfectly understood how he felt. He was the same after all. He pinched Sam's cheeks and then did the same to his own.

When the pain felt real, Sam gaped, eyes wide in realisation. "It's really not a dream."

"Of course, it's not." Noah hugged him to his chest. They altered between hugging and kissing more times than they could remember.

The booth fest was long forgotten and ended, the students going off for the after-party. Who won didn't matter. Sam and Noah were the real winners today.

Sam may or may not have imagined in his daydreams it but the real thing was much better than all his fantasies.

Noah felt much better in his arms than in his dreams. Noah's kisses felt more passionate than in his head.

They were panting by the time Noah pulled away as he noticed that Sam's breath-holding stamina wasn't as good as his own. Well, Sam had expected this since he wasn't a swimmer like this boy before him.

Oh freaking God, Noah was actually before him, in flesh and blood! Sam still couldn't believe it. He was in a blissful daze.

"I have always wanted to do this, Noah. Kissing you, I mean," he said, his hands clasping Noah's shirt.